This is gonna take a second to illustrate my point, so please bear with me, okay?
Pretend for a moment that you’re a CEO of a major corporation. You have all sorts of assistants, VPs and lieutenants whose sole job is to keep you informed. Also, since it’s your responsibility (not to mention how you make money), you spend a great deal of time pouring over numbers, charts, spreadsheets, etc…
And most importantly, you talk with your folks.
Now, all of you who’ve had management jobs, or who really are CEOs, you know that many times a subordinate will tell you only what they think you want to hear. Which is why an effective CEO/manager figures out ways to get the truth: you know who to talk to, you know who to trust for the real skinny on what’s happening on the production room floor. This is how you stay in business, a crucial process that a former boss of mine wryly referred to as “his paycheck continuation program”.
But what if you DON’T stay informed this way?
In my experience, something big, bad, and horrible will inevitably occur. Something entirely foreseeable, yet tragic and/or expensive. In that instance, even as you set about addressing/correcting the problem, somewhere along the line, …you flip out.
“Why wasn’t I alerted!?!” you’ll undoubtedly ask.
“You told me things were going just fine, and now THIS happens?”
“If you needed help or simply just needed advice, …why didn’t you ASK for it!!!??”
I’ve been there. Many of you have been there, too.
And THIS, guys and gals, is my primary complaint with the Obama Administration.
Ya’ see, their excuse (every single time) is “I didn’t know”:
- Fast and Furious? Eric Holder didn’t know.
- Security issues in Benghazi? Secretary of State Clinton didn’t know.
- Solyndra being an obviously poor investment risk? Obama had NO idea.
- There are now conflicting accounts as to whether or not Saudi Arabia sent a written warning about the Boston Bomber and a planned explosive attack in “a major U.S. city.” When questioned about it, the Department of Homeland Security’s response is easy to guess: they didn’t know.
- Remember all the way back to before Obama was even elected, and the whole Reverend Wright saga? Remember Obama’s response to being asked about Wright’s numerous, inflammatory, videotaped statements in his preaching? You guessed it: he didn’t know about ’em.
- Shovel-ready jobs not being at all shovel-ready? Obama didn’t know…
- AIG bigwigs getting millions in bonuses, after we’d just bailed them out with billions of tax-payer dollars? Obama found out practically when we did, we’re told. It wasn’t his fault: he simply didn’t know.
- The release of hundreds of illegal immigrant detainees, many with a criminal record? Janet Napolitano blamed it on “career officials in the field”. Translation: she didn’t know.
- In 2011, after 2+ years of economic stimulus, bailouts, and trillions of dollars of debt had failed to turn the economy around, Obama was asked about the lack of discernible economic progress. His reply? That he “didn’t know the full extent of the economic crisis”. Naturally: he didn’t know.
- And most recently, when President Genius was asked about the reported intimidation and threats against potential State Department whistle-blowers in Benghazi? You’ll be shocked to hear: he didn’t know.
C’mon…
If one of these events took place on someone’s watch, you could chalk it up to a communication error. Two? Okay, the government is pretty big, so sure, anything’s possible. Three? Maybe, I guess, but that’s still a reach.
But THIS? No way. And I haven’t listed all of the possible examples. I compiled this list quite literally off the top of my head: there’s waaay more.
Plus, in the majority of these examples, there was far too much at stake for a field operative/underling/lackey to assume sole responsibility for the decision. In Benghazi, for instance, we’re supposed to believe that Sec. of State Clinton was not “in the loop” regarding the deteriorating conditions of this outpost:
(CNN) – Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, refers to an Aug. 16 cable that warned that the Benghazi compound couldn’t withstand a coordinated attack. He asks whether Clinton was aware of the cable.
“That cable did not come to my attention,” Clinton says. “I made it very clear the security cables did not come to my attention or above the assistant secretary level where the (independent post-Benghazi review board) placed responsibility.”
Once again, they “didn’t know”.
Sticking with Benghazi, let’s use the ‘reasonable person’ test here: What direct report is willing to stick his/her neck out that far, when it’s obviously a life-or-death situation, in an area populated with Islamist radicals, on the anniversary of 9/11? This wasn’t the consulate in Ottawa, or Melbourne; this was our embassy in war-torn Libya, which had already been attacked just weeks prior. What civil servant is going to jeopardize their entire career over something so risky, without sending it up the chain of command… if only to cover their own precious posterior?
The Obama Administration would have us believe that they must hire such people by the metric ton, as the Administration repeatedly hews to its Pavlovian response.
“I didn’t know“?
Well, I sure as heck do.
There are only two logical answers for a list like this: (A) systemic, egregious and staggering incompetence, …or (B) they’re lying. Not a great menu to choose from, I’ll grant you, and either answer would earn us the heave-ho from our hypothetical CEO gig in fairly short order.
—–
This is a tough one: “Incompetence”? “Lying”? Both, perhaps? They’re each tempting and equally likely, but I gotta admit…
…I just don’t know.
Memory certainly is a convenient thing, isn’t it?
I have to laugh when I recall an interview I heard a while back. The interviewer was talking to an Obama supporter who stated something to the effect that “Obama is BRILLIANT. In fact, he has one of the highest, if not THE highest, IQ of ANY President in HISTORY.” So, the interviewer asks the obvious question: “Well, what IS his IQ?” The answer? “I don’t know the exact number, I just know that it’s HIGH.”
The only thing that’s “high” is the mind of anyone who effectively connects the dots of this man’s presidency, and DOESN’T come away feeling a little bit “dirty” from the lies and distortions.
The man’s entire persona is a MYTH.
Myth? Myth??
“Yeth…??”
(Sorry, old joke.)
Obama has been built into a towering, iconic figure in some people’s minds, much like JFK. The difference is that he’s not half as ready to actually run this country as Jack was…
…unless by “running”, you mean “into the ground”.
If JFK had been a Republican (which he’s actually closer to now than he is to the modern Dem party…but I digress.) ANY way, IF JFK had been a Republican, he would be remembered NOW as an adulterer, pill addict, who left a bunch of Cubans to die at the Bay of Pigs.
Hard to argue with that scenario, Pgh.
When the Left decides they’re going to push a narrative on you, they stick to it like a subway on the line.
Just the philandering alone would be enough to write him off if he had an (R) after his name: e.g. Mark Sanford, John Ensign, Larry Craig, Newt Gingrich, Mark Foley, Henry Hyde, Bob Livingston, etc.,..
There is no WELL KNOWN Democrat list, at least as far as the media is concerned. Their peccadilloes are not repeated, whereas the GOP members of this list have their sexual histories copied/pasted into every story bearing their name.
Democrats who SHOULD be renowned as cheaters by the media, but AREN’T: Gary Condit, Jim McGreevey, Antonio Villaraigosa, Eliot “CNN” Spitzer, John Edwards (a possible exception here…), Kwame Kilpatrick, Gray Davis, Anthony Weiner (his rep is being rehabilitated as we speak), Gary Hart, and the ultimate example: Bill “put some ice on that” Clinton.
Yeah, that seems pretty fair…
Well, at this point you almost have to wonder if they are telling the truth.
So much time and money is put into spying on the LAW ABIDING citizens of this country, and making sure that no nail files are brought anywhere near airports. Not to mention taking time to lie to the American people.
There is just no way they have time to be concerned with what is really going on either in other countries or in corporations in their back yards.
I mean, we all know the important thing is to make themselves look good, not to actually improve anything.
Which is probably why Obama ducks having regular press conferences: There’s just less opportunity to “not know”…
Extremely fair point, Dragon.
Yes, it would certainly seem as if their priorities are a bit “askew”.
I’d only add: this problem is of their own making.
Any of us can occupy ourselves with daily minutia and avoid the unpleasant stuff, sometimes indefinitely. But when the biggest, most powerful country does it, it has far bigger consequences than if I forget to put a cover sheet on my TPS report….
😉
I don’t think the Obama gang has gotten that particular memo.
I don’t know what to say……..
You??
JJ??
Not have a ready quip, retort or assorted witticism?
“Dear Diary: you’re NOT gonna believe this…”
Reblogged this on Tin Foil Hat Book Club.
Thanks for the re-blog, Sally!!
When a little tyke, I stole a pack of gum and got busted. When told it was illegal, I said “I didn’t know”, to which they replied, “ignorance of the law, is no exception.”
(p/s: I might of said I didn’t know, but come ON, I knew it was not mine, I knew it was wrong to take something that did not belong to me, etc… it was just a quick excuse to feign innocence because I got busted.)
“...excuse to feign innocence because I got busted.”
That’s the probable truth, Teach.
Agreed.
But since the media hadn’t (to my knowledge) broken this down to dismantle the entire line of reasoning, I decided to help them out.
The current Administration is run by liars, incompetent morons, or both.
Like I said, ….not an attractive choice.
Thanks as always for being here!
Agreed JTR, and you did a fantastic job. Heck, the ‘media’ could learn a thing or two from you! 😉
THAT, my friend, will be the nicest compliment I receive today…
😀
I think by now that even the most moderate of “We The People”, and I try to include myself in this, can see that media has been complicit in keeping this man President, and making sure the majority of Americans who voted for him feel good about themselves. Perhaps History will judge him differently after all is said and done, but that won’t be for quite some time…
Thanks so much for taking the time to comment, Chris!
Think you’ve taken the measure of the man quite well here: he and the media have a stronger relationship than most marriages. Were it not for them, he’d have gone down in flames the second time…. and he wouldn’t have been elected in the FIRST place.
It’s a scam many times worse than anything Bernie Madoff or Enron ever envisioned. And we’re all being taken to the cleaners on this one, whether we bought into it or not.
I talked to my Rep today about your story from yesterday and he is aware of it and will address it when he gets back to D.C. Monday. He is also not going to allow Obama to sweep Benghazi and other scandals under the rug. He’s calling for a special investigator to look into Benghazi and hold hearings with the witnesses.
Thanks, Mr. G!
I’ve heard some other stuff on that today, but it seems a bit OT.
Largely, it’s along the lines of “oh, it;s no big deal, cause no one has ever been prosecuted for that PREVIOUSLY”.
Which is kinda the point: this is new.
Appreciate the inquiry, partner, AND the link.
😉
I updated my post to reflect some new conversation on this, but I’m going to remain a skeptical on that one.
Been burned way too many times by this crew to give them the benefit of the doubt, ever again.
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Hilary has had experience at this. (Excellent post, by the way!)
Remember the Rose Law Firm?
That’s funny: this song was running through my head last night, when I was looking for a picture of her. I kept hearing “it’s JELLO…”, but didn’t even make the connection ’til just now!
And thanks for the kind words, tannngl.
Glad you liked it…
Reblogged this on Political Musings-At the Sunset of My Life.
Thanks again for the re-blog, Gene!
About the only thing the Obama regime “knows” is: it is/ was Bush’s fault and “Tea Party” participants are terrorist (about the only time this regime uses that term)
They have their narratives, and refuse to acknowledge anything that might dispute them.
That’s why I maintain the word “reporters” should always be placed in quotes, to properly indicate the necessary sarcasm.
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