The Obama Diaries
Page 24
THE DIARY OF FIRST LADY MICHELLE OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
March 20, 2010
I’ve really got to talk to Mama about the influence she’s having on the girls. Today was supposed to be an electronics-free day—a day for the girls to play with toys that make them use their imagination instead of just pushing buttons.
So I go upstairs, and I hear this yelling from Sasha’s bedroom. I go in there, and the girls are playing that old board game, Risk. It’s a terrible game, all about one country trying to conquer others. They claimed they got it from Grandma. I don’t know where she got it—she must have smuggled it in from Chicago.
Anyway, when I got there, Malia had conquered most of the “world,” and Sasha was crying because she only had a few spaces left in Australia. So I told them: “Girls, this is why we don’t believe in conflicts of this kind. I’ve got an idea. Instead of playing Risk, let’s play a new game called ‘Take a Risk.’ In this game, Malia, you will reach out to Sasha and ask her to be your friend. And then some of her armies can come into your territory and some of your armies can go into her territory and you guys will just share everything.”
Malia said something about how that sounded “boring,” but I said, “No, it will be fun.” And so we moved the armies all over the board and talked about how the nations should work together to bring about sustainable agriculture and new policies to stop climate change, and discussed other socially constructive ideas. We would roll the dice to see how much money the rich countries should send to help the poor countries.
We played for about fifteen minutes, until I won. I think they had a good time and learned a lot about making peace internationally. That reminds me, Smokey needs to send Vladimir a thank-you note and some White House memorabilia for agreeing to sign that big START treaty. Lord knows, if we leave these diplomatic gestures to Hillary, the whole thing will go down in flames. Or maybe I should just add Russia to my international “speak to young people” tour. Those Russians don’t know the first thing about talking to the young. Mama Michelle will show Vladimir how it’s done. And what could possibly say “thank you” better than a solo visit by the First Lady?
POWER MATTERS
History shows that if President Obama really wants to persuade other countries to work with the United States, he should quit trying to convince them that we are soft and start showing them that we are strong. We need to convince other countries that the United States has so much power that they will benefit from cooperating with us—and will suffer if they do not.
Unfortunately, President Obama’s approach, instead of convincing the rest of the world that we are getting stronger, has done much to persuade others that the United States is growing less powerful. The Times of London reported on April 17, 2009, that President Nicolas Sarkozy of France came away from his initial meeting with Barack Obama with the impression that the United States had a weak president, whom he described as “incredibly naïve and grossly egotistical.”
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
September 25, 2009
So Pepe Le Pew is dissing me? Calling me “naïve”? “Egotistical”?! That I’m “obsessed with disarmament”? Well, it’s better than being obsessed with height the way he is! The man is obviously wracked with jealousy. Maybe he noticed that Carla lingered just a few seconds too long when we first hugged. Maybe he’s ticked off because I didn’t bow down to him. Truth is, I would have, but he’s so damned diminutive that I don’t think I could have gotten down that low.
You know, the more I think about this the more offended I get. The next time we’re in the same city, I’m going to ask him to play hoops with me. LOL!!! We’ll see if he’s still trash-talking me when I slam-dunk his French-fry ass.
There is a growing consensus at home and abroad that America’s best days are behind her, that she is in decline.
If the United States is perceived as losing power relative to the rest of the world, then no apology will persuade other countries to follow our lead. But if the United States is seen as a rising power, we will find it much easier to persuade other countries to go along with us.
Unfortunately, President Obama’s muddled performance on the world stage has done little to boost confidence in the United States. As is painfully obvious, foreign countries regularly defy him with impunity—while countries that have long been friendly to the United States, such as Great Britain and Israel, find themselves shunted aside. Under these circumstances, the smartest course of action for any foreign leader is to oppose the United States. You certainly won’t lose anything by it, and you might even get your own personal apology.
The American people have already figured out that President Obama’s foreign policy is not working. Fifty-one percent of likely voters believed that the United States is less respected than it was two years ago, while only 41 percent believed we were more respected. The American people are smart enough to distinguish between policies that cause foreigners to like President Obama and policies that would cause them to respect the United States.
Unfortunately, as talk of American decline has become more common, some, like the Economist magazine on March 9, 2010, have suggested that losing our place at the top is no big deal:
If America loses its position as the world’s largest and most powerful economy, does it really matter? The country’s national pride would take a blow. And perhaps there are geopolitical reasons for wanting to hang on to the top spot. But, economically speaking, it probably wouldn’t be so bad. Often when it comes to growth and globalization, a high tide raises all boats. For example, the quality of life today is far better for most Britons than it was a century ago, when it was the world’s leading empire. Britain’s economy still grew even as America’s topped it.
So long as growth continues and successive generations of Americans live better than the last, does it really matter that someone else is getting even richer?
The answer to that last question is “Yes.” Of course it matters. As the commentator himself states: “Perhaps there are geopolitical reasons for wanting to hang on to the top spot.” That is one of the great understatements of all time.
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE
April 22, 2010
So this afternoon I get a call from Geithner saying he needs to talk about our credit rating. There were some stories in the press about how the rating agencies are concerned that our AAA bond rating could drop due to the growing national debt. Well, you gotta spend money to make money, right? I told Geithner, “Look, the main thing is to make sure that China keeps buying our debt. They’ll have to do that—if the U.S. falters, they falter, too.” He went into this tiresome explanation about how Larry thinks they may be willing to let us suffer financially for their own long-term advantage.
Now that is yesterday’s thinking if I ever heard it. The leaders in China understand that we all have to work together. I know they do. I’ve met the folks in China, and that’s what they all told me.
I told Geithner I’d call Hu and see if we can’t get him to issue a statement to calm the markets. We’re very close—I had a great chat with him on his home turf, and we had a moment earlier this month here in D.C. So I called him. Left a message. I’m sure he’ll get back to me.
Then this afternoon, Hillary jumps on my case about China’s reeducation camps, “gendercide,” and forced abortions. If you haven’t lived abroad you don’t understand. They have 1.3 billion people in one place. You can’t keep punishing the country with babies. This story that the Chinese government has targeted girls causing a “gendercide” is overstated. The government only limits each family to one kid—it’s up to the Chinese women to decide which gender they are going to keep. That seems fair to me. In fact, I instructed John Holden, my science czar, to connect with the Chinese authorities to see how they implemented their one-child policy. This could be the reason their economy is doing so well.
; As far as the reeducation camps, as I said to Hillary, this is the way the Chinese teach patriotism and pass along love of their leaders. Hell, we have our own reeducation camps right here—only we call it the public school system.
Then tonight Gates calls up complaining that the Chinese are one of the largest exporters of oil to Iran and recently opened their own missile plant in the country—providing the Islamic Republic with arms. But the Chinese have to make a living, too. And those missiles can’t reach farther than say, Tel Aviv, so there is nothing to worry about. Once I talk with Hu, we’ll resolve all of this. These people need to relax and stop worrying so much.
THE WINNING WAY
Under the American system, foreign policy is dominated by the president. His powers here are greater than in any other area. For this reason, it is absolutely essential that we elect only presidents who show a determination to preserve U.S. power and independence. In recent years, we have spent too much time talking about how to bring the nations of the world together. We need to spend more time thinking about what we’re going to do if that doesn’t happen. What if China does decide to challenge us? What if Russia wants to replay the Cold War? What if anti-Americanism in Europe makes it more and more difficult for other Western nations to work with us? Contrary to what some have suggested, history has not come to an end. The world is still a very dangerous place. And we need a president who understands this and has the will to deal with it.
As we get closer to the 2012 presidential election, we should be asking potential GOP candidates, Do you believe America is getting weaker relative to the other great powers of the world? If so, what practical steps will you take to change that trend? Who do you see as trustworthy allies? Who do you see as potential adversaries? I don’t pretend to have all the solutions to these questions—and indeed, conservatives are divided on many of them. Some insist that capitalism will cause China to remain friendly toward us. Others disagree. President Bush obviously believed he could work with Vladimir Putin. Does that still seem correct? Can a huge debtor nation like the United States remain a great power? The GOP hasn’t had a true wide-ranging debate over the United States and its role in the world since 9/11. That was almost ten years ago, and a lot has changed since then. Just as the Tea Parties are pressing members of Congress to get more serious about fiscal issues, all of us need to press our leaders to take issues of American power and prestige more seriously.
CHAPTER 8
THE AUDACITY OF NARCISSISM
There’s a vanity aspect to politics, and then there’s a substantive part of politics. Now you need some sizzle with the steak to be effective, but I think it’s easy to get swept up in the vanity side of it, the desire to be liked and recognized and important.
—BARACK OBAMA, CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, MARCH 27, 2004
It was June 3, 2008, the night Senator Barack Obama sewed up the Democratic nomination. The St. Paul, Minnesota, audience was in awe. Lifting his chin to the heavens, he belted out a stunner of a self-tribute: “I am absolutely certain that generations from now, we will be able to look back and tell our children that this was the moment when we began to provide care for the sick and good jobs for the jobless; this was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal. This was the moment—this was the time—when we came together to remake this great nation.”
Not even Jesus spoke about Himself like this. For a politician to imagine that he has the power to slow “the rise of the oceans” and “heal” the planet takes real brass ones. And to so boldly predict what the next generation will say about his candidacy is the sort of narcissistic grandiosity that cries out for professional help. (Dr. Drew, if you have an opening on next season’s Celebrity Rehab, I think we have a guest for you.)
THE DIARY OF PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE BARACK OBAMA
SPRINGFELD, ILLINOIS
August 24, 2008
The man has been my running mate for less than twenty-four hours and we’re already having problems. I told Axelrod that I don’t need Senator Foot-in-Mouth jeopardizing my historic moment. I give him the chance of a lifetime, and he has a thirty-minute argument with me about whether we should wear jackets at the announcement ceremony. This has got to be some kind of joke . . .
Then, after thirty-five years of sitting his ass in the Senate, Biden gets up there and says, “These politicians in Washington are the problem today!” The last time I saw a someone morph so quickly into something else, I was watching The Crying Game.
“You need Biden to give you foreign policy cred, Barack,” they kept telling me. “You need him to help you push legislation on Capitol Hill, Barack.” Help on Capitol Hill? Sending him up there would undercut my commitment to end our policy of torture! But hell, maybe we could deploy him to Afghanistan for secret talks with the Taliban. He could bore the enemy to death.
Leadership on the world stage is about tone, posture, magnetism—and I’ve got that down all by my lonesome. Once the world gets a taste of me, half the diplomats at the State Department can probably take early retirement. The world is hungering for an intelligent, cosmopolitan American leader— and he is coming.
Following our big running mate announcement, Plouffe brought me the new campaign bumper stickers with Biden’s name on them. The “Biden” was nearly as big as the “Obama”! Plouffe said: “This is the way it’s done.” Well, not this time. I ordered the press office to make his name gray, put it in the smallest font size they can render, and leave mine at forty-eight points. Like anybody will notice. Plouffe’s going to give the Bidens the mock-up stickers to pass out to their family and friends—they’ll be nice collector’s items.
DIAGNOSING OBAMA
The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association, is the bible of mental disorders. It describes Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD) this way: “an all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in fantasy or behavior), need for admiration or adulation and lack of empathy, usually beginning in early adulthood and present in a variety of contexts . . .” Sound like anyone we know?
There are certain traits of the narcissistic personality that help physicians identify the condition. To be diagnosed with Narcissistic Personality Disorder, the patient must show signs of at least five of the eight criteria. Some mental health experts have suggested that Barack Obama may suffer from NPD.
TRAITS OF NARCISSISTIC PERSONALITY DISORDER
• [the narcissist] has a grandiose sense of self-importance (e.g., exaggerates achievements and talents, expects to be recognized as superior without commensurate achievements)
• [the narcissist] is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success, power, brilliance, beauty, or ideal love
—DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS
Here’s a rule of thumb: if you want to identify a narcissist, find the guy who writes his memoirs before the age of thirty and you’re probably getting warm. As Charles Krauthammer wrote: “[Obama’s] most memorable work is a biography of his favorite subject: himself.”
Obama’s Dreams from My Father is one of those elegant, self-indulgent exercises in navel-gazing that elevates the mundane to the epic. In Dreams, it becomes evident early on that Obama is on a quest to reinvent himself. He struggles to construct an enlightened personality, an image befitting the mythic figure he imagines himself to be. The assumption that anyone would or should care about the internal noodlings of an unknown community agitator and Harvard Law School student is itself an act of supreme arrogance. But then to summon the chutzpah to actually release the thing takes a special pathology. This initial expression of public self-love was but a precursor of the narcissism that would follow.
In Obama’s mind, there are no limits to what he can accomplish or what he represents. As he said throughout the 2008 campaign: “We are the ones that we’ve been waiting for.” That would be the “royal we,” of course. By the end of an Obama speech, one might think that God gets His divine rights f
rom Obama, and not the other way around.
Several months before the election, so sure was Obama of his ultimate winning destiny, that he had a pseudo-presidential seal attached to the front of his lectern when he addressed the Democratic governors. On the outer periphery “The President of the United States” was replaced with “Obama for America.” The real presidential seal features an eagle with a shield bearing the stars and stripes on its breast. The Obama shield is also emblazoned with an eagle, but this eagle wears the iconic O logo. (Who needs Old Glory when you have the glorified “O”?!) And the Latin “E Pluribus Unum” was replaced with “Vero Possumus” (“Yes We Can”). But “No We Can’t” assume any semblance of humility.
From his earliest stirrings in politics, there is little evidence that the press did anything to challenge his delusions of grandeur. In fact, to this day, the old media machine merely enables this shameless narcissism. Take, for example, this journalistic gift masquerading as a front-page Washington Post news story on Christmas Day 2008. It came courtesy of Eli Saslow, a sports-writer turned “serious” journalist:
Obama has gone to the gym for about 90 minutes a day, for at least 48 days in a row. He has always treated exercise less as recreation than requirement, but his devotion has intensified during the last few months. Between workouts during his Hawaii vacation this week, he was photographed looking like the paradigm of a new kind of presidential fitness, one geared less toward preventing heart attacks than winning swimsuit competitions. The sun glinted off his chiseled pectorals [emphasis added] sculpted during four weightlifting sessions each week, and a body toned by regular treadmill runs and basketball games.