Putting our best foot FORWARD: Executive Privilege 101

Wow! Yesterday was a video-rich environment. I won’t post the Big-Guy-gum-chewing G-80/20 conference because it’s everywhere. All I can say is that everyone in the Big White is greatly relieved that the economic summit was held in Mexico instead of Singapore.

Anyway, first up, here’s Lady M on LIVE with Kelly showing off her Double Dutch skills (funny, I knew she was 1/32 Irish, but had no idea she was Dutch too. Although that would explain her chocolate cravings.)

Taped on May 30. With Kelly AND Bryant Gumbel!

Don’t get excited: the mini-me does NOT match the bright blue slacks.

O/T butt remember when Bryant used to be somebody?

And Kelly had her hair combed before going on the air with famous guests?

Ever since Big Guy’s historic election, we’ve been working on lowering making standards more, uh, accessible. Which means they need to be more flexible. In order to level the playing field. Or something. Ya know?

Look, I taught a class in civil rights law, so I’ll tell you how to interpret it

And what could benefit from a little flexibility more than that old decrepit constitution of ours, written by dead white guys?

Anyway, back to the video evidence that our administration is doing everything in our power to stimulate the economy: here’s Dr. Jilly lingerie shopping in Chicago last weekend with no concern for her own personal safety despite all the murder and mayhem occurring around her. I know you’ve seen the video, butt I just want to point out the extent to which Lady M has influenced Dr. Jill. Not only has MO’s passion for healthy eating military families economic recovery rubbed off on Dr. Jill, persuading her to shop like the 1% at expensive lingerie shoppes, butt she’s also adopted Lady M’s practical  headfirst technique for mounting an SUV:

Although, to be fair – and we’re all about fairness – Dr. Jill did use the running board and did put her left leg in first, sit and then gracefully draw the other leg in. I guess you just can’t teach some people how to be fashion forward: you’re either born with it or you’re not.

Butt getting back to the violence in Rahm’s Chicagoland: can you believe it? 7 dead, 35 wounded - just last weekend! I know it has nothing to do with the fact that Illinois, unlike almost every other of the 57 states, makes it nearly impossible to own a gun…unless you’re a criminal. Is it any wonder that our Attorney General wants to demonstrate that all those guns coming in from Mexico (or is that the other way around? I get confused) via the Fast and Furious program are reason enough to eliminate that pesky Second Amendment right to bear arms.

And Ricky feels so strongly about disarming law-abiding citizens that he’s even willing to con the American people to state on the record that he’s done nothing to deceive, mislead or stonewall Congress. As is always the case in these situations, it depends on what your meaning of “deceive” “mislead” and “stonewall” is. Apparently Big Guy and Ricky don’t see it the same way as Congress so I guess we’re going to have that unseemly contempt vote later today. Unless the R-words accept Big Guy’s latest scam dodge bluff  move granting Ricky Executive Privilege. Although, if Ricky hasn’t done anything to “deceive, mislead or stonewall” the Congressional committee, what precisely does he need an Executive Privilege for?

He’s with me, so he gets a pass, got it? ‘Cuz I WON.

Well, it’s going to be another scorcher butt that isn’t going to keep Lady M and JoeyB from their appointed rounds, Joey in New Orleans and MO in Colorado.

At Lady M’s event yesterday, it was standing room only:

Apparently someone forgot to order the chairs

And whoa! What’s this?

I thought Adidas pulled these “slave shoes” from the shelves.

Well, it’s not as if el Rushbo didn’t try to warn them.

I’m just afraid all the racist pressure coming at us is beginning to get to Lady M. Whenever she’s stressed, that little eye thing that Suzette first brought to my attention, comes back:

And I failed to notice in time to fix it yesterday

This time it was accompanied by that famously pinched face.

I know it’s going to be hot, butt I think I’ll wear my special quilted coat today anyway.

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Making the world a more dangerous place one lie at a time.

Being president of the free world just got a little easier! Apparently Vladimir decided that Big Guy shouldn’t have to shoulder the burden of being the world’s only superpower and just went ahead and sent warships to Syria without even checking in with BO first. So that “reset” button that Big Guy was so hot to push with Russia? Looks like Vlady went ahead and pushed it himself. And now Vlady isn’t even returning Big Guy’s phone calls.

That’s another historical first!

So, when was the last time an American president was “lectured” by a Russian president? Like, never, right? I wonder if Dmitry forgot to tell Vlady that Big Guy would have more flexibility to disarm America and throw Europe under the bus after his re-election?

Nah, nah, na-nah nah! I can’t hear you!

So there’s something else we can check off the old to-do list: “eliminate America’s Superpower status.” Done.

Now everyone can see BO as the big old smiley cream puff he really is

So with the new world order firmly in place, Big Guy’s freed up to tend to more pressing matters of domestic social engineering. Like hosting the annual LGBT Pride reception in the Big White, where he basked in their Pride.

Smile at me BO, smile at ME!

Chef even made special rainbow cookies for the affair

Oh, and in case you were busy de-linting your dryer vent or something and missed last week’s LGBT reception, don’t worry: I’ve got the video tape highlight! It’s a wedding proposal! And if this doesn’t just make you proud to be an American again, I don’t know what would. Watch as transgendered Scout proposes to partner Liz (unspecified sexual preference butt I’m guessing either L or B) at the Big White’s LGBT reception last Friday:

WATCH the proposal (skip to 1:55): I promise, it will make you PROUD (and loud)

A transgender man made a bold move on Friday during an extravagant White House reception in honor of LGBT Pride Month: he dropped down on one knee and proposed to his partner.

Scout, whose full name is legally one word, popped the question to Liz Margolies just minutes after President Barack Obama addressed the guests, many of whom are leaders in the LGBT community…

I can tell

Has there ever been a more inclusive White House than the one Big Guy has built?

So anyway, on a completely different news front, I see that Roger Clemens was acquitted of lying to Congress about using steroids. Seriously; I wonder how much that 10 week trial cost taxpayers? That, plus the cost of John Edwards trial on charges of being sleazy, could fund almost any banana republic’s dictator for a year or more.

Butt let’s discuss the seriousness of the underlying accusation against Clemens:

On a scale of 1-10, is lying to Congress about steroid use worse than a candidate for the U.S. Senate lying about Native American status to obtain special privileges?

Or is it worse than the Labor Department lying to the public about the unemployment number for 3 1/2 years?  Despite their ongoing assurances that the private sector is busily creating jobs, now we find out that for the net 100,000 jobs that have been created, we’ve actually had 7.4 million workers that have dropped out of the job market! If I have my math right, that’s 7.3 million fewer Americans working now than 3 1/2 years ago! It’s so bad that apparently even Julia decided to drop out:

Because “standing up for her right to equal pay” is irrelevant if you don’t have a job

Butt back to the discussion of “how serious is it?” - Is a baseball player lying to Congress about pumping up with steroids a bigger deal than a president lying to the media? And the media pumping him up?

“The media is worse than a bunch of corrupt sycophants. It is an institution that wants to be used.”

Or is lying to Congress about performance enhancing drugs worse than violating your oath to uphold the constitution?

If you don’t like the constitution you’ve got, you can CHANGE it!

And finally, is lying to Congress about using steroids to hit home runs better, or worse, than lying to Congress about walking guns? Is it better or worse than being in contempt of Congress?  (I’ll carve out an exception for ordinary taxpayers being held in contempt of Congress, as they have every right to be contemptuous.)

I don’t profess to have the answers to any of the questions raised above. Butt I suspect we’ll all find out given time.

   

Disingenuous or just Dyspeptic? I report, you deride.

Linked By: Larwyn’s Linx on Doug Ross@Journal, and Clarice on JustOneMinute, and Sally A. McCann on facebook, and NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

And now a personal message from @MichelleObama: @POTUS hpy fr’s day, xo, FLOTUS+ww1+ww2

Lady M had to fly to Oregon on Father’s Day to give Oregon State’s  commencement address:

She got her own hoodie when she received an “honorary doctorate in public health for her work as first lady on fighting childhood obesity and improving health.”

As she always does on these occasions, she nagged lectured counseled the kids to follow their hearts instead of the almighty dollar: that demon piston of capitalism. She illustrated her point with personal stories about herself and big brother Craig, because we should all have personal heroes to emulate:

“We still had all the traditional markers of success with a fat paycheck, the fancy office, the impressive lines on our resumes,” the first lady told a crowd of about 30,000, including 5,000 graduates. “But the truth is, neither of us was all that fulfilled.”

“I was living the dream, but it wasn’t my dream,” Obama said. “Craig felt the same way, unbeknownst to me.”

Eventually, both left their lucrative jobs for other passions. Obama went to work for the Chicago mayor, Robinson to coach basketball.

“Success is only meaningful and enjoyable if it feels like your own,” Obama said.

This phenomenon is also known as the “imposter syndrome” – the feeling that you aren’t  qualified for your position and live in a state of consequent fear of exposure and failure.

One of these is not like the others

While it’s said to effect qualified people too, it most often effects  people who have good reason to feel inadequate: they are woefully unprepared for the position they have somehow managed to snag through over-inflated credentials or influential contacts. Butt I digress, this is certainly not pertinent to Lady M or brother Craig.

Obama also advised graduates to keep in close touch with the family and friends who are important to them, saying she never missed a chance to tell her father she loved him before he died from complications of multiple sclerosis. She fought tears as she recalled her mother’s assurances that her father was proud to be her dad.

“Liking them on Facebook doesn’t count,” she said. “Nor does following then (sic) on Twitter. What counts is making the time to be there in person.”

(Let the record reflect that Lady M wished the Wee Wons’ father a “Happy Father’s Day” via Twitter: "Thinking of two fathers I love dearly—the one who raised me and the one I married. Incredibly grateful for both. –mo,"  Tweeted from Lady M’s  @MichelleObama account) The Wee Wons had to tweet him as well, as Big Guy was on the golf course for a little R&R time (5 hours) with the boys before taking to the skies for Los Cabos and a little one-on-one time with Puti at the G-80/20 conference.

Just one more example of the seemingly endless sacrifices both Lady M and Big Guy are required to make for us and the country. I don’t know how we’ll ever thank them properly.

By the way, here’s a few pictures from last month’s photo roundup of the Wons’ sacrifices, in case you missed any of them (h/t Blonde Gator):

Dancin’ (as I mentioned last week, at least they’re not wearing bathing suits)

Indoctrinatin’

Lunchin’

Shootin’

Touchin’

The above may require a little explanation. Lady M is touchin’ Virginia Tech’s Hokie Stone for luck, as is the tradition, when she was there to deliver the commencement address last month.

Fittingly, Virginia Tech’s motto is “invent the future” - a natural progression from Big Guy’s personal mottoes of “invent the past” and “invent the present.”

Anyway try not to get these two mixed up; that’s “Hokie” -

VT players touching the “Hokie Stone” for good luck

not Hopey:

To be clear, Virginia Tech’s Hokie Stone is primarily dolomite, a sedimentary rock formed from calcium and magnesium carbonate that occurs in muted shades of pink, red, gray, brown, and black. Butt I guess it is easily confused with the Hopey Buh-rock which is primarily a socialite, a sedentary rock formed from an axiom and sodium bicarbonate that occurs in muted shades of white, brown and black.

The only thing they really have in common seems to be football.

Many Hail Mary’s have been offered up since BO got his hands on the ball

Oh, and I almost forgot. Because Lady M couldn’t be there in person yesterday, she made this little non-partisan home video promoting Big Guy Father’s Day. And let me just put all of you rightwing media nuts on notice: don’t even think about using this exploitative video of the innocent little pawns for your own purposes.

Linked By: NOBO2012 on Free Republic, Thanks!

It’s Historic: America’s First Passive Aggressive President

It’s Father’s Day, and I want to wish all the wonderful, wonderful father’s out there a Happy Father’s Day. MOTUS loves you all!

Back when I was just a work-a-day mirror one of the wags around the water cooler had a way of putting even the biggest SOB in the office in perspective for us with the observation “butt I’m sure when he goes home he’s a wonderful husband and father.”

Snopes rating - Mostly true, with a few notable exceptions:

No father-of-the-year candidates here

No matter what else you say about Big Guy, he is a darned good father to the Wee Wons.

Especially compared to being President.

“Passive aggression is a premeditated and covert way of communicating latent anger.”

I really don’t know where this comes from, butt people have been accusing Big Guy of exhibiting traits of passive aggression for ever now:

angry; superior, haughty, dismissive, dishonest, petulant, cocky, petty, vengeful, mocking, holier-than-thou, and full of faux-insights and dishonesty. In other words, Barack acts like a big kid pretending to be someone he’s not, everyday on the job.

Let me point out for the record that these claims are baseless, according to most of the press corpse.

Not Passive Aggressive: “Read my lips, ‘no laws need apply’.”

Passive Aggressive: Reporter Neil Munro yelling question at Big Guy

Gosh, even Politico was a tad critical of the Won this week!

President Barack Obama returned Friday to a trusted tactic — satisfying his political allies by not doing something.

Rather than pushing new laws through a divided Congress to enact his agenda, Obama is relying on federal agencies to ignore, or at least not defend, laws that some of his important supporters — like Hispanic voters and the gay community — don’t like.

“If the president says we’re not going to enforce the law, there’s really nothing anyone can do about it,” University of Pennsylvania constitutional law professor Kermit Roosevelt said. “It’s clearly a political calculation.”

Yikes! Sounds like a good time to get out of town for a wedding. In the Windy City:

 

Really, really windy

h/t: Weasel Zippers via Lady Liberty 1885

For the ceremony, Lady M wore sparkles and pleats, GrannyR chose a post-modern Mickey Mouse motif in summer silk. I hope that’s not some sort of passive aggressive swipe at Big Guy’s ears.

Because frankly we’ve had all the passive aggressive behavior we need around here.

If you know what I mean:

“I do solemnly swear that I will faithfully execute the Office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States.”

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