By Tony Katz
(YBH) – I am no fan of President Obama. I find him wrong, dead wrong, and well-arguably dangerously wrong, on foreign policy, on radical appeasement, on Obamacare, on the use of Executive Orders to bypass congressional approval. I find his speeches hard to listen to, as the historical perspective of him – his Presidency and his personal life – make it difficult to find him relatable, or even genuine. I find his political acumen lacking. What he did in the general election was not the norm, it was a mirage; a huge oasis in the middle of the desert that turns out to be non-existant as you continue to drink the sand. Obama is a bully, as I have written about previously. He takes great joy (one must assume) in attacking those who are defenseless – the Supreme Court of the United States during the SOTU, Rep. Paul Ryan during his budget speech and, most recently, and tactlessly, Donald Trump at the White House Correspondents Dinner. I have learned by observing, reading, watching and listening to President Obama that there is nothing to like about President Obama.
Which left me feeling all the more confused on Wednesday, May 4th at 6pm EST during my radio show, when I admitted to the world that, for all of the above, for every last bit of my first statement being a true and accurate assessment of the President and his behavior in the White House, I was disappointed in him. I was disappointed in the President. I couldn’t believe I could feel this way about this man.
I was entertaining friends at my home when reports started coming in about a hastily arranged press conference. When I heard the press announce the death of Bin Laden I was certainly happy. I didn’t jump and sing and dance, but I was glad that the murderous bastard who brought about 9/11 was gone. And I waited to hear from the President, who I congratulate for making the right decision in taking out Bin Laden. I waited to hear the great “orator” use a moment like this to bring the country together. I could envision how the words of the President could reach to every side of the aisle and remind people of our common humanity, words to reaffirm our trust and faith in American Exceptionalism. Could this be the application of one of the most overused phrases in American politics? Could this be the “defining moment” of President Obama’s presidency, in brining together a nation, and showing him as the man we all wished he could become?
No.
As I wrote on Pajamas Media that night, about the President’s speech:
What comes through, in such a striking way, is that the President is taking such grand credit for the killing. Lots of mention of the word “I.” While he is the Commander-In-Chief, his pushing of his role in this killing is somewhat off-putting. Shouldn’t the glory go to the troops?
The other thing that shines through is that the President goes out of his way as not to offend Muslims. He reminds us that Bin Laden was not a leader of Islam, he was a madman. It seems to me that pandering to Muslims is not the answer, nor is it even necessary.
The morning came, and the possibility for good will was gone. As the day and the days pressed on, we saw the bumbling, bungling, ineptness of the Administration in full view. Bin Laden was armed, no he wasn’t, he used a wife as a human shield, no he didn’t, he resisted, no he didn’t. My thoughts on his out-of-line rational in not offending Muslims was spot on, as a funeral was provided for Bin Laden, and the emphasis on the effort to ensure it was within Islamic Law was pressed upon on us (and the Muslim world) time and again. The President was more interested in the world reaction than in, for those most closely affected by 9/11 – family members of those murdered – closure. Bin Laden’s body, reminiscent of a scene from The Sopranos, was dumped into the sea, which makes one wonder what was the point of telling the world that the U.S. had the body? Then, the report came over the wire that photos of a dead Bin Laden would not be shown. It would, or could, inflame tensions. It would, or could, put our troops in danger. As Jay Carney spoke of President Obama’s words, “…we do not spike the football.”
But once again, in the mold of the elitist, “spiking the football” was about how we should act Once again, in the mold of the elitist, it was not meant for him. He could do what he wanted, what he pleased, say what he will – when he will, where he will and how he will. He had not been to Ground Zero since being President, but he was there that week. He spoke to the troops, and made sure to hold up a FOOTBALL jersey he received as a gift (an oddly timed gift considering “spiking the football.”) His lackey, lap dog co-horts in the Main Stream Press couldn’t get out of their own way. While radio hosts, and networks like FOX, were congratulating the President, leftists like Joy Behar and Barbara Walters were politicizing the event, saying that Republicans should be scared to run against Obama in 2012, and shouldn’t even bother. Other violent leftist radio hosts were wondering if we could take out George Bush in the same way.
What, in this political climate, could be more unifying than the death of Bin Laden? For though not all of us lost loved ones on 9/11, all of us were affected on that day. All of us know where we were. 9/11 created not only great political upheaval, but great individual upheaval. Millions of people across America questioned everything they believed in at that moment. They changed. While I was never a leftist, nor a Democrat, and while I was always paying attention to politics, it was 9/11 that showed me how little I really knew about terrorism, about history. It was 9/11 that sent me on my journey to learn and to grow, to understand and to never again be caught wondering Why Did That Happen?
In the aftermath of the death of Bin Laden, I already knew. I was shown an Administration that couldn’t get a story straight. An administration that lied about information. An administration that faked photos to show they were really involved. I learned that the President, who – when a candidate running against Sen. John McCain – said that he would go after Bin Laden in Pakistan if he has the intelligence, took 16 hours to make the decision to kill Bin Laden. (It would take the vast majority of Americans more time to give their order at Starbucks than it would to give the order to kill Bin Laden.) I was shown a Main Stream Media that was desperate to politicize this moment. I was shown a President who cared more about the multi-culturalist necessity of giving murderous bastards proper funerals than giving Americans the slightest bit of closure. Yet, without warning, I was shown that I could be disappointed by a President who I already knew was horrible.
Amongst all the things you have done, Mr. President, that I have found abhorrent, unConstitutional and simply immoral, this is the worst. You proved that in a moment that should unify a nation, you could tear it apart a little more. And you proved, more than ever, that you are unworthy of the Presidency of the United States. Shame on you, Mr. President. Now resign.
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Radio host Tony Katz is a Capitalist, an American and a Believer. He has been a Los Angeles Tea Party organizer and speaker that has helped spearhead the growing movement and navigate its direction. His show, The Tony Katz Radio Spectacular, is a one-hour daily show that positions the concepts of freedom, liberty and capitalism in proper context. Focusing on “right vs. wrong”, instead of “right vs. left”, the show features talks on trending topics and constitutional issues. Tony can be heard in Tampa Bay, FL on 1340 AM WTAN, in Little Rock, AR on 880 AM KLRG and online at All Patriots Media.Tony Katz article archive.
