Ken Berwitz

Has there been a thinner-skinned President in our lifetime than Barack Obama?

Stung by low approval ratings and criticism, even from some (not enough of) the media venues which usually fawn over him, Mr. Obama decided to go to a Republican gathering; presumably to offer them the olive branch of mutual respect and understanding going forward.

Well, here, courtesy of the following excerpts from a Reuters article, is how he did it.  The bold print is mine:

Obama meets with the opposition

Fri, Jan 29 2010

BALTIMORE (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday engaged in a rare face-to-face showdown with Republican critics and testily accused them of trying to block his policies while urging them to "join with me" in creating jobs.

The contentious 82-minute session showed the depth of the political divide that separates Democrats who control the U.S. Congress and Republicans who feel their ideas on the economy and healthcare are ignored.

That Obama agreed to not only address his opponents but take their questions live on cable television was a sign of how he is trying to dig out of his deepest political rut since taking office a year ago.

Facing his Republican critics two days after a State of the Union speech aimed at reconnecting with the public, Obama sought to counter his rivals' attempt to paint him as a big-spending liberal who only wants to expand government.

He accused Republicans of portraying his now-stalled healthcare reform effort as a "Bolshevik plot" and telling their constituents he is "doing all kinds of crazy stuff that's going to destroy America."

"I am not an ideologue," Obama insisted to his audience, prompting some murmuring of disagreement in the crowd. "I'm not."

Assailing Republicans for trying to obstruct him on everything from economic stimulus to healthcare, Obama suggested their political motive was to score points with voters in the November congressional elections.

"These are serious times and what's required of all of us is to do what's right for our country, even if it's not best for our politics," Obama said.

Lawmakers applauded Obama politely and gave him a respectful hearing, but they challenged his policies openly during a contentious question-and-answer session.

The president, known for his "No-drama Obama" demeanor, grew testier as the session wore on.

When Georgia congressman Tom Price charged that Obama had repeatedly accused Republicans of offering "no ideas and no solutions," Obama shot back, "I don't think I said that."

But Obama also appealed to Republicans to work to find common ground and show Americans their parties can move beyond partisan rancor that he has promised to end in Washington.

He cited a bank bailout tax, closing tax loopholes for firms that ship jobs overseas and a three-year spending freeze on some domestic programs for potential agreement.

"Join with me," he said. "Let's do this together, Republicans and Democrats."

Are you kidding?  This was supposed to be conciliatory?  Bipartisan?

Did President Obama really think he could arrogantly dismiss Republicans for a year, ignore virtually every thought they had on major legislation (while he, Pelosi and Reid were lying to the public that they were being included), and then get some kind of hero’s welcome because he deigned to favor them with his presence one time – while the cameras were rolling, of course?

Should we be surprised?  This is what you get when you elect someone without qualifications for the Presidency.  And that’s what we did.

Enjoy it, folks:  only three more years to go – maybe even seven.