Quod Erat Demonstrandum!

Insomnia isn’t all bad and it is truly amazing how clear things become at 2 o’clock in the morning after the routine trip to the bathroom. Last night was no exception and I started thinking more about yesterday’s post, the one entitled “Sig Heil”.

And my thoughts were on the bigger picture rather than just the subject of the post itself but more the continuing double standard of reporting of, and attitudes toward, the Obama and Bush administrations. Now, before some liberal jumps all over my case and points out that Obama has only been around for 2 months, let me head off that “red herring”, (the pun was accidental but very appropriate) by pointing out that the media’s “love fest” with Obama started a long time before that; years in fact.

Much hysteria, both textual and vocal, has been leveled at the AIG executives and their bonuses. But, I have seen little or no mention about the bonuses paid to the executives and consultants of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae. Both organizations received billions of dollars of public money and, while there are efforts afoot to cancel the bonus payouts for this year, virtually nothing has been said about the 2008 bonanza. And, it isn’t known generally or, if it is, it’s not reported but more than $400,000 was paid to one Rahm Emanuel who just happens to be Obama’s chief of staff and moreover 2 former executives of these agencies were on Obama’s transition team.

Then the pretended outrage continues about the fact that some people want Obama to fail and that criticizing the man is somehow unpatriotic. Well that posture started with the last administration on day 1 predating by years the start of hostilities in Iraq and Afghanistan and James Carville is on record as saying just that the day before September 11, 2001.

And, who can forget Hillary’s screeching assertion that dissent and criticism was the duty of any loyal opposition.

Also, let us remember that President Bush’s father’s chance for a second term was almost certainly lost when he mouthed the oft reported phrase of, “No New Taxes” and then did the opposite. Contrast that treatment with one of Obama’s decisions earlier this week that the much vaunted tax cut for 95% of taxpayers and amounting to $13 per week will disappear after just 1 year. Was that ever mentioned on the campaign trail?

But, we can all see if we want to look that whatever Obama said on the campaign trail doesn’t mean much now even down to the level of trivia and presumably promises to his kids. Go back to the Leno appearance as he revealed that the idea of getting a dog was merely, “a promise for the campaign”.

I could go on and on but this is a Blog post and not a thesis but I would be remiss if I didn’t add an update to the Caterpillar story. Do you remember this one? Job losses in Indiana, Illinois and Georgia led Obama to tell the nation that he had been assured by Caterpillar that, if his stimulus package passed, the company would hire back some. The very next day the Caterpillar CEO refuted this claim and added that more layoffs were inevitable. Earlier this week, Caterpillar laid off another 2400 people.

Here’s the irony though. Obama’s initial statement got massive positive media coverage. The subsequent events were awarded no coverage at all.

As you were probably taught in geometry, QED !!