In which I make excuses for the powerful
By Thoreau
I’ve got to say, I am not terribly upset at Obama for taking his wife to a dinner in the Village and then a Broadway show and using government planes to do so. Ideally, of course, he would do like the rest of us and either drive his own car or buy some plane tickets to take her there. I am not a bedwetter, so I say drive the damn car, Mr. President. Show that the Leader of the Free World is not afraid of stick shift. Or endure the TSA line like the rest of us, so you know why we’re so upset over getting our frappuccinos confiscated in the name of homeland security. With a middle name like Hussein, you just know he’d get some secondary screening.
The problem is that if he tried to live like an ordinary human being, armed men would forcibly restrain him from leaving their security envelope. I understand that they have a legal obligation to not let him live a normal life in his off hours. This isn’t Switzerland, a country where the leaders of the executive branch actually take the subway to work. This is Rome 2.0, and the Emperor is as much a prisoner as anyone else.
Comment by Jon H —
June 1, 2009 @ 8:15 pm
At least he didn’t take the 747.
Think of it this way, though: at least he isn’t flying back and forth between DC and Crawford every few weeks.
Comment by Xanthippas —
June 1, 2009 @ 11:37 pm
Well, that and armed men would forcibly try to kill him if he managed to escape that security envelope.
Comment by ajay —
June 2, 2009 @ 4:55 am
Well, that and armed men would forcibly try to kill him if he managed to escape that security envelope.
Different ones, it should be emphasised.
…although maybe: “Control? This is Detail Two. We just shot some colored fella trying to get into the East Wing! …What? Oh, darn it.”
Comment by Neil W —
June 2, 2009 @ 5:41 am
Well, that and armed men would forcibly try to kill him if he managed to escape that security envelope.
Simply because no one expects to see him driving his own car to a restaurant and taking in a show, I’d think doing it 2 or 3 times a year would be an acceptable risk. On the other hand if I were responsible for his security, I’d probably categorise it as unacceptable.
Also, on the rare occasions when I’ve met more than 2 Swiss people at once, I’ve never been able to get a unanimous verdict on who is president, or the full list of seven members of the executive council.
Comment by joe from Lowell —
June 2, 2009 @ 9:21 am
In the words of Dave Chappelle, “He’s still here!” *thunk* “You know, I’ve seen this before. This n*gger broke in and hung pictures of his family all over the walls.”
Comment by Thoreau —
June 2, 2009 @ 11:05 am
If I saw Barack Obama getting out of his car in a restaurant parking lot, I’d be like “Dude, you look exactly like him. Except you’re taller. And your face is a little different. Well, you must get this a lot.”
Srsly, we never see these powerful people except on TV with makeup and lighting. Would anybody even recognize them if they drove their own cars?
Comment by Aresen —
June 2, 2009 @ 8:41 pm
The security is a self-destructive feedback loop.
By isolating THE PRESIDENT, he is made to look more powerful than he really is*, making him more of a target, which leads to more threats, which leads to more security….
*(I’m not suggesting he doesn’t have a lot of power, only that his power does not actually match the hype that surrounds the US President.)
Comment by joe from Lowell —
June 3, 2009 @ 1:37 pm
I’m not sure it’s a question of making him appear more powerful, so much as dehumanizing him.
He is, literally, not someone who walks among us.
Comment by Teemu —
June 3, 2009 @ 1:57 pm
Here in Finland, our president recently went to evening snack to our local equivalent of Burger King, where my friend was flipping burgers. She came alone, without any security or press people, in the midst of heated re-election campaign.
At early 90’s, my father almost drove over our then-president, who was cycling alone in streets of central Helsinki. A short while later, the president addressed the nation about traffic safety.
Thinking of these examples, and the security bubbles of some of the major world leaders, I start to feel that I like it in here.
Comment by vache folle —
June 3, 2009 @ 6:41 pm
I don’t recall any newsies or pundits begrudging GWB’s frequent trips to vacationland. Also, having the pres out in a restaurant helps to demystify the office.
Comment by Aresen —
June 3, 2009 @ 9:10 pm
Joe
Agreed, but it still feeds into the same loop.
Comment by Jennifer —
June 5, 2009 @ 7:37 pm
Finland, Finland, Finland, the country where I quite want to be ….
Comment by Thoreau —
June 7, 2009 @ 2:44 am
Fine for you, Jennifer, but I like Chinese. I like Chinese food, the waiters never are rude…
Comment by Thoreau —
June 7, 2009 @ 2:47 am
Oh, and I take back what I said above: If I saw him in a restaurant parking lot, I’d get ready to say “Dude, you look exactly like him!” but then my inner liberal would kick in and worry that I’ll come across as saying “All those people look alike.” So I’d say nothing, but probably remark to my wife.