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Bully Pulpit

The term "bully pulpit" stems from President Theodore Roosevelt's reference to the White House as a "bully pulpit," meaning a terrific platform from which to persuasively advocate an agenda. Roosevelt often used the word "bully" as an adjective meaning superb/wonderful. The Bully Pulpit features news, reasoned discourse, opinion and some humor.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Obama: 'Look At My Deeds'... That I Didn't Actually Do

(By Jim Geraghty/National Review Online) - Obama in Israel:
Now, in terms of knowing my commitments, you don't have to just look at my words, you can look at my deeds. Just this past week, we passed out of the U.S. Senate Banking Committee, which is my committee, a bill to call for divestment from Iran, as a way of ratcheting up the pressure to ensure that they don't obtain a nuclear weapon.
I was going to say that Obama's statement that the Senate Banking Committee is "my committee" wasn't that big a deal, and not that surprising from a man who told Bibi Netanyahu that he was about ready to "fall sleep standing up." But he did say in the immediate preceding sentence, "Now, in terms of knowing my commitments, you don't have to just look at my words, you can look at my deeds."

In this case, Obama's words are wrong, and "his deeds" don't actually include voting for this bill. He had no role in the "passage" of this legislation.

I don't think it is wise for Obama to try this stuff in front of the Israelis.

UPDATE: The Obama defense: the bill that passed included provisions that match legislation he introduced last year. The problem is, that doesn't explain the "we" and the "which is my committee."

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