Obama among the Cannibals

Nasima,
No doubt the Republicans when they invited the president to participate in their Friday retreat viewed it as one of those old fashion “Roasts” that Sinatra’s Rat Pack used to put on for big laughs. The “Loyal Opposition” was like 140 cannibals sitting in wait of a feast. But Obama turned the tables on them because they acceded to his request that the TV cameras should record and broadcast the event, a big mistake, which many of them admitted afterwards.
Now, that was unusual for such events; they usually take place in private behind closed doors, so no one would be embarrassed later. In this case it turned out to be a shrewd move by the president and something the Republicans were cringing about later—and with good reason as they looked like a bunch of nay-saying self-important schmucks. David not only stood up well to Goliath, he cut them off at the knees, outtalking them, running circles around their talking points disguised as questions, showed great command of the facts and his own mental prowess, was witty and self-deprecating when that was called for, and in general outshone the eager but vulnerable questioners. Your mother and I stuck with all two hours of the re-broadcast on MSNBC last night, which included observations made by the trio of Keith Olbermann, Rachel Maddow, and Chris Matthews. They talked in-between numerous confrontations at the retreat. It was gratifying to see and without a doubt the president’s best performance in a long while and particularly effective due to the fact it happened in the lion’s den.
If you didn’t see it, try to; it would be worth your while.
Dad