Go down, Barry

You’d never know that President Obama got clobbered in the midterm elections held — when was it now? — earlier this month, a few weeks ago. Last night Obama was buoyant — not like Mark’s Twain’s “Christian with four aces.” He was way beyond that. He was gleeful.

What what he so happy about? He’s not facing the voters again. He’s free at last and it’s time for payback. He’s giving it to us good and hard. He’s sticking it to us big time.

Today he jets off to Vegas to take care of business and begin the celebrations. The symmetry is perfect. The last time he took off for Vegas this excited, Ambassador Christopher Stevens and his three colleagues had just been murdered by Islamist terrorists. Obama had to get out of DC to pick up campaign cash and soak up the love.

The White House has posted the text of Obama’s immigration speech last night here. In the speech Obama assured us that he had the authority to act as the lawgiver, despite his own constitutional exegeses to the contrary some twenty-plus times over the past several years.

In case you missed it, Obama omitted any mention of his previous exegeses.

In its editorial this morning, however, the Wall Street Journal reports that the Office of Legal Counsel “made its justification public about an hour before the speech.” Talk about just in time manufacturing! (The rationale is “prosecutorial discretion.”)

Roll Call took up Obama’s previous exegeses with White House higher-ups speaking on background: “As for Obama’s many statements that he did not have the authority to significantly expand DACA, the answer from the White House was muddled.” Do tell! The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind.

Listening to the speech last night, I thought, not for the first time, Obama thinks we’re really, really stupid. Jonathan Gruber could not be reached for comment.

It struck me most forcibly when he introduced his daughters into the discussion: “I’ve seen the courage of students who, except for the circumstances of their birth, are as American as Malia or Sasha…”

Here I think the speechwriters’ ear let the team down. “Amy Carter” would actually have sounded better in that sentence. Amy Carter could not be reached for comment either.

One nice touch: Obama’s discussion of the illegal alien girl who came to the United States speaking only Spanish. She learned to speak English by listening to PBS! In the trade, that’s what we call gilding the lilly.

We have to give Obama his due. The speech was carefully crafted to drive the likes of me ballistic. How to do it? Well, you go beyond the usual lies and deceptions and evasions and slyly insert the PBS reference. You give it some additional thought before inspiration strikes: let’s go with an evocative biblical allusion.

Obama explained: “Scripture tells us that we shall not oppress a stranger, for we know the heart of a stranger –- we were strangers once, too.” Yep, we were strangers once too, when we were in the land of Egypt. Thus the mitzvah.

As Tonto said to the Lone Ranger when they were surround by unfriendly, ah, Native Americans: What you mean “we,” kemosabe?

President Obama, let my people go!

I wish Obama would stick to the Wright sect of Christianity for nonbelieving progressives, or to the exposition of Islam for dummies.

I will concede, however, that the Torah portion was brilliant. The White House functionaries love it so much that they highlight it in their post on the speech. Go down, Barry!

Obama has come down from the mountain as the lawgiver with his immigration commandments, but he left out the part about not bearing false witness. It’s not part of his immigration package.

Anyway, Obama is obviously more Pharaoh than Moses. Obama’s immigration commandments have no higher authority than his own say-so. He’s Pharaoh a la Yul Brynner in the classic 1956 movie, issuing edicts with the force of law: “So let it be written. So let it be done.”

Notice: All comments are subject to moderation. Our comments are intended to be a forum for civil discourse bearing on the subject under discussion. Commenters who stray beyond the bounds of civility or employ what we deem gratuitous vulgarity in a comment — including, but not limited to, “s***,” “f***,” “a*******,” or one of their many variants — will be banned without further notice in the sole discretion of the site moderator.

Responses