by Edward Klein
“[Obama] is determined to make the election a contest between two policy alternatives, deliberately omitting the issue of competence,” says Dick Morris. “He’s like an incompetent employee hoping to save his job by advocating a broad-based shift in his corporation’s philosophy in the hopes that his bosses will ignore his own poor performance.”
To win reelection in 2012, Barack Obama must divert the country’s attention from his record of incompetence and amateurism. He doesn’t want to remind people that America lost its triple-A credit rating on his watch—a downgrade that Republican Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina called a firing offense.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people that he increased the national debt by nearly $5 trillion—the most rapid increase in debt under any president.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people that he pushed through a bill that includes more than a trillion dollars in new healthcare spending and contains a 4.5 percent tax increase.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people that Jon Corzine’s bankrupt financial company, MF Global, which is under investigation by a grand jury for misusing clients’ money, was one of the top sources of contributions to Obama’s reelection campaign.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people of his erratic stand on illegal immigration, which has swung wildly between fast-paced deportations—removing nearly 400,000 illegal foreigners in each of the last three years—to a policy of virtual amnesty.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people of his inconsistency on environmental regulation—first pushing through burdensome, anti-business rules to toughen air-quality standards, then suddenly scrapping those rules to win over campaign supporters in the business community.
Republicans will have to remind them.
Obama doesn’t want to remind people that he was for lower taxes before he was for higher taxes; that he was for forcing Catholic-affiliated institutions to provide contraceptive and abortion insurance before he was against forcing them to go against their religious principles; that he was for removing terrorists from Guantanamo before he was against it; that he was for bringing the country together before he was for dividing it; that he was for a grand bargain with the Republicans over the debt ceiling before he was against it; that he was for energy independence before he rejected the Keystone Pipeline; that he was in favor of extending an olive branch to the mullahs in Iran before he was against it....
Republicans will have to remind America that Barack Obama is The Amateur.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
One of the great pleasures of reporting a non-fiction book is that it forces you to get outside your zone of comfort. This is a good thing for a writer, for it compels you to do things you wouldn’t ordinarily do—speak with strangers, make new friends, and renew forgotten acquaintances. Perhaps most important of all, it shakes you out of your intellectual complacency, and makes you re-examine your assumptions and justify your conclusions.
This is the eighth non-fiction book that I have written in the past sixteen years, and like all the rest, it has been a great tonic for the mind, body, and soul. The result is the book you hold in your hands, The Amateur. The yearlong project was an exhilarating experience that took me to more than a half dozen cities, either in person or by telephone or email. I now have the additional pleasure of acknowledging and thanking the people who helped me along the way.
In Chicago, I wish to thank Ali Abunimah, Laura Anderson, Richard Baehr, Douglas Baird, Joe Bast, Sherry Bender, Jeff Berkowitz, Robert Blackwell, Bill Brady, Senator Roland Burris, Charles Butler, Shael Cigal, Forrest Claypool, Delmarie Cobb, Rick Cohen, Drew Davis, Monique Davis, Kirk Dillard, Alan Dobry, Richard Epstein, Carol Felsenthal, Rhani Flowers, Dr. Ari Friedman, Dr. Arnold Goldberg, Martin Greene, Jack Guthman, Leslie Hairston, Hermene Hartman, Bill Higginson, Steve Huntley, the Reverend Jesse Jackson Sr., Thomas Jarrett, Emil Jones, John Kass, Jerry Kellman, Shalom Klein, Ed Lasky, Judith Lavin, Michael Lavin, Dave McKinney, David Mendell, Louis Meyers, James Montgomery, Joe Morris, Steve Nassiter, Abdon Pallasch, Alice Palmer, Father Michael Pfleger, Tom Peters, Joel Pollak, Toni Preckwinkle, Jack Roeser, Steve Rogers, Milt Rosenberg, Dr. David Scheiner, Paul Schmitz, Dan Shoman, Ira Silverstein, Dick Simpson, Tavis Smiley, Alan Solow, Joel Sprayregen, Bob Starks, Father Bill Stenzel, Don Terry, Charles Thomas, Betsey Thurman, Eric Voogd, Lee Walker, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, and Jeri Wright.
In Washington, D.C., I wish to thank Harry Alford, Mike Allen, Jeff Bader, Admiral Denny Blair, Josh Block, Cassandra Butts, John Castellani, Anthony Cordesman, Robert Dallek, Dan Danner, Kenneth Duberstein, Douglas Feith, Don Fierce, Vince Frilici, Bill Harlow, Barry Jackson, George Little, Doug Lute, Clifford May, Mark McKinnon, Maureen Orth, Daniel Pipes, Joe Pounder, Noam Scheiber, Bob Schieffer, Billy Tauzin, Jay Timmons, Armstrong Williams, and Sam Youngman.
In New York City, I wish to thank Walter Anderson, Sue Erikson Bloland, Dr. Robert Cancro, Sharon Churcher, Abe Foxman, Leslie Gelb, Ed Koch, John LeBoutillier, Ed Nardoza, Paxton Quigley, Brian Ross, Doug Schoen, and Liz Trotta.
In Boston, I wish to thank Bernard Cornwell, Nassir Ghaemi, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Elaine Kamarck, and Brian O’Connor.
In Florida, I wish to thank Steve Plamann and Chris Ruddy.
In Oregon, I wish to thank Richard Harmon and Courtney Hight.
In New Mexico, I wish to thank Joe Wilson.
In New Jersey, I wish to thank (ret.) Colonel Jack H. Jacobs.
In Honolulu, I wish to thank Henry Chapin.
I owe a special debt of gratitude to my longtime assistant, Leon Wagener, whose skills as an investigative reporter never cease to amaze. As in past books, Leon’s reportorial gems are displayed in several key chapters.
At Regnery Publishing, I would like to single out Marji Ross, who was present at the creation—and evolution—of the project that turned into The Amateur. I should also like to thank Harry Crocker, who waited patiently for the completed manuscript, then shepherded it smartly and expertly to publication. I also want to thank Mary Beth Baker for her punctilious copy editing.
To Ryan Harbage, my agent, I am indebted for his handholding skills and his unflagging encouragement.
And then, of course, there is my wife, Dolores Barrett, about whom I cannot say enough, and therefore to whom I will only say, “I love you.”
SOURCES
AUTHOR’S INTERVIEWS
Abdon Pallash, Alan Solow, Ali Abunimah, Armstrong Williams, Arnold Goldberg, Barry Jackson, Bernard Cornwell, Beverly Berke, Bill Harlow, Bill Higginson, Bill Stenzel, Billy Tauzin, Bob Starks, Bradford Berenson, Brian O’Connor, Brian Ross, Carol Felsenthal, Charles Butler, Charles Thomas, Dan Danner, Daniel Borouchoff, Dave McKinney, David Mendell, David Scheiner, M.D., Delmarie Cobb, Don Fierce, Doris Kearns Goodwin, Douglas Baird, Douglas Feith, Drew Davis, Ed Lasky, Ed Nardoza, Edward Silverman, Elaine Kamarck, Elijah Zarlin, Forrest Claypool, Fred I. Greenstein, Henry Chapin, Harry Alford, Hermene Hartman, Ivby Brooks, Jack Guthman, Jack Jacobs, Jack Roeser, James Baker, James Montgomery, Jeff Bader, Jeff Berkowitz, Jeri Wright, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright, the Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jerry Kellman, Joe Bast, Joe Morris, Joe Pounder, Joel Pollak, Joel Sprayregen, Joel Weisman, John LeBoutillier, Josh Block, Judy Lavin, Kenneth Dubertein, Kirk Dillard, Laura Anderson, Lee Walker, Les Bond, Leslie Gelb, Leslie Hairston, Matt Kairis, Maureen Orth, Mike Flannery, Father Michael Pfleger, Nassir Gaemi, Paxton Quigley, Rabbi Samuel Gordon, Rahni Flowers, Richard Baehr, Richard Epstein, Richard Harmon, Rick Cohen, Robert Cancro, Roland Burris, Sam Youngman, Shael Cigal, Shalom Klein, Sharon Churcher, Steve Plamann, Steve Rogers, Sue Erikson Bloland, Tavis Smiley, Terry Martin, Thomas Jarrett, Timuel Black, Tom Peters, Toni Preckwinkle, Vince Frillici, Walter Anderson, William Cousins.
BIBLIOG
RAPHY
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INDEX
1967 Six Day War
1994 Rwanda massacre
2009 fiscal crisis
A
Aaron, Joseph
Abbas, Mahmoud
ABC News
Afghanistan
al Qaeda
al-Assad, Bashar
Alford, Harry C.
Ali, Muhammadsee also Clay, Cassius
Alliance Business Leaders and Entrepreneurs (ABLE)
Alter, Jonathan
American College of Emergency Physicians
American Emperor: Aaron Burr’s Challenge to Jefferson’s America
American Jewish Committee
American Jews
civil rights movement and in Congress
Democratic Party and Israel and
Jewish community
Obama and
Anderson, Laura
Anderson, Walter
Angelou, Maya
Anti-Defamation League
Apollo Theater
Arab League
Arab Spring
Axelrod, David
B
Baird, Douglas
Baker, James
Baker, Peter
Barnes, Melody
Benjamin, Regina
Berry, Robert Marion
Beschloss, Michael
Betts, Kate
Bialkin, Kenneth J.
Biden, Jill
Biden, Joe
HHS contraceptive mandate and
bin Laden, Osama
Black Liberation Theology
Boehner, John
Bound Man, A
Bowman, Barbara Taylor
Bowman, James
Bradley, Anthony B.
Brands, H. W.
Breitbart, Andrew
Bridge: The Life and Rise of Barack Obama, The
Brinkley, David
Brooks, David
Bruni-Sarkozy, Carla
“buppies,”
Burns, William (“Bill”)
Bush, George W.
American people and
financial crisis and
foreign relations and
relationships with staff
unilateralism
wars of
C
Capus, Steve
Caro, Robert
Carter, Jimmy
Carville, James
Catholic Church
Central Intelligence Agency (CIA)
Chasing the Flame
Chesnoff, Richard Z.
Chicago
African-American community of
Chicago-style politics
Jewish community of
segregation and
Chicago Sun-Times
Chicago’s Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance
Citizens Energy Corp.
Civil Rights Act
civil rights movement
Civil War
Clay, Cassiussee also Ali, Muhammad
Cleaver, Emanuel
Clifford, Clark
Clinton library
Clinton, Bill impeachment of personal relationships and as politician
Clinton, Chelsea
Clinton, Hillary
2008 campaign of
2012 campaign and
as first lady
Israel and
personal relationships and
as secretary of state
Clyburn, James
Coakley, Martha
Coates, Ta-Nehisi
Cold War
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations
Confidence Course, The
Congressional Black Caucus (CBC)
Congressional Budget Office (CBO)
Corzine, Jon
Council on Foreign Relations
Covenant with Black America, The
Craig, Greg
Cropsey, Seth
Crowley, Philip (P. J.)
Crown, Lester
Cult of Obama
Curry, Lacy Kirk (“L. K.”)
D
“Daisy Girl” commercial
Dalai Lama
Daley, Richard J.
Daley, Richard M.
Daley, William M. (“Bill”)
Dallek, Robert
Day One Peoplesee also First-Day People
Deaver, Michael
debt ceiling
Democratic National Convention 2004, 2008, 2012,
Democratic Party
American Jews and big government and New Deal and New Democrats
DeParle, Nancy-Ann
>
Desert One
Dewey, Thomas
Diller, Barry
Dinerstein, Sid
Dionne, E. J.
DiSalvo, Joe
Disintegration: The Splintering of Black America
Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act
Doebler, Max
