Petering Out ............

Anyone who has worked in commerce or industry anywhere in the World knows all about the “Peter Principle” although readers outside these United States may know it by some other label. And so, in order that we all sing from the same song sheet, let me state my definition.

This is that when a competent person is promoted up through the ranks, he or she will eventually find themselves at a level where they are no longer competent. In truth, they become incompetent, sometimes to the point of being downright dangerous. A corollary of this theory is that being found to be incompetent does not necessarily rule out further promotion as it’s often easier to get rid of incompetence by promoting it out of the way which simply foists the problem off on someone else.

This latter strategy seems to be prevalent in the Military, Government or the Civil Service or when political correctness might prevail for legal reasons in cases of Affirmative Action.

For those from Lake Havasu and from across the Atlantic, this outrageous policy was established to give a helping hand to minorities who, it was argued, had been held back by discriminatory practices in terms of education and/or employment. In the beginning there was almost certainly some justification but I contend it has long since “passed its ‘Sell By’ date”.

Whether it has or whether it hasn’t isn’t really at issue here but the fact remains that the practice continues to this day either by statute or because of cowardice on the part of those who allow it.

We need look no further than Obama himself. He got his start in Education and then in Academia partly, at least, because of Affirmative Action. This was followed by a stint as a “Community Organizer” but, more accurately as a strident activist and rabble rouser. Even after that he never held a real job in his life but instead he wound up in the Illinois Senate where his major claim to fame was voting “Present” more than anyone before or since. See, that way, you don’t have to think, you don’t leave a clue behind of that which you do hold dear but, most importantly, you leave no “audit trail” that can be used against you on your next campaign.

And that next campaign led him to the United States Senate where he served about 150 days or less. Then, the Peter Principle kicked in again and he was elected to the Oval Office. H.L. Mencken put it best when he opined that “Nobody ever went broke by underestimating the stupidity of the American people” and add a lousy choice of candidate from the GOP side and the outcome was foregone. But the problem for Obama, as his popularity tanks, is that he can’t be promoted out of the firing line. Well not until the title of Supreme Inter-Galactic Commander comes into being.

So what to do instead is obvious. First blame someone else which he did again last Wednesday evening and the other tactic in the best traditions of the Chicago “Junk Yard Dog” is to attack.

As a jurist, he should never have launched on that scurrilous attack on the highest Court in this Land. The tradition is that the nine Supremes are present at every one of these speeches and the traditions are also that they don’t comment on the policies presented and, by the same token, the President does not take them out to the wood shed.

So, we are forced to the conclusion that Obama is not a sound jurist and neither is his Attorney General, Eric Holder. Consider this drive by the White House to move the trial of the 911 terrorists to New York City. Whether that will happen or whether it won’t remains to be seen but what is clear is that the grounds for mistrial or summary dismissal are so obvious and so blatant. When Obama and Holder, both jurists remember, guaranteed a fair trial and eventual conviction, appeal lawyers began beating their plowshares into swords.

Then today, Obama’s mouthpiece, Bobby Gibbs went even further on one of the Sunday shows by promising a death penalty verdict.

Remember Mr. Obama, the “Buck Stops with You” as you said but there’s one difference between President Truman and you.

He meant it.