Why Obama's image doesn't match his record

Al Neuharth, USA TODAY "An example of Gibbs' media shortcoming occurred Sunday on Face the Nationwith Bob Schieffer on CBS. In answer to a question from Schieffer about the Gulf Coast oil mess he said, "The government is doing everything humanly and technologically possible to plug the hole 5,000 feet above — ar — 5,000 feet below — the floor —below the ocean." Gibbs appeared amused rather than embarrassed by his answer. Every president needs a press secretary who is adept not only at answering questions but also at anticipating them. Obama suffers because Gibbs is better at dealing with politicians than he is with the press."

Obama’s Dividend Tax Proposal Means More Debt, More Instability

Heritage Insider "The President has proposed raising the tax on dividend income from 15 to 20 percent while his allies in Congress have created a procedural path whereby the income tax rate on dividends could again reach 39.6 percent. At the same time, it has been suggested by some that the deduction for business interest expense is a subsidy, implying that it should be curtailed or eliminated. Raising the tax on dividends and curtailing the deduction for business interest expense are related in that they would both profoundly influence the capital structures of business. They are also both wrongheaded and harmful."

White House Must Stop Playing Politics with Immigration and Arizona Law

Heritage Foundation "The Administration has used the public controversy over the Arizona law to push for its own political agenda—granting amnesty to millions unlawfully in the United States. This approach to solving the problem has been tried before and found completely wanting. In 1986, for example, the U.S. granted amnesty and the unlawful population exploded, as did associated costs."...."There is a better approach to border and immigration reform that will keep the nation free, safe, prosperous, and sovereign. Incremental in its implementation, this approach includes:"...

There's Obama's Story, And There's History

JustOneMinute "John at Powerline debunks Obama's claim that the BP oil spill was a top priority from day one:"...

Did Congress really vote to repeal DADT?

Hot Air "Barack Obama had dodged the question of DADT for the most part, offering public support but claiming that he wanted Congress to act instead of ordering the change himself. Now Congress has handed the issue back to Obama — or possibly even another President farther down the line — by forcing him to pull the trigger instead of Congress."

Obama, the ‘Juvenile in Chief"

Human Events  "But there was also a fresh criticism from the press once thought to be eating out of Obama’s hand: namely, that the President is increasingly sounding juvenile, whining about others and playing the “blame game” that his subordinates insist the administration is not playing." John Gizzi

Issa: White House memo doesn't hold up, Clinton and Sestak need to answer questions

Washington Post "I’m very concerned that in the rush to put together this report, the White House has done everything but explain its own actions and has instead worked to craft a story behind closed doors and coordinate with those involved." Usually the most damaging announcements are released on Fridays before a long weekend.

Something Stinks At the White House

Fox News via Lucianne;  "The president knew full well that the strategy was to release the shocking revelation that former President Clinton spoke with Congressman Sestak on the Friday of the long Memorial Day weekend and at a time he knew that the media would be focused almost exclusively on his trip to the Gulf for the BP oil spill disaster. The president himself is now participating in a cover up. It has long been the practice of presidential administrations to release damaging news on a weekend or better yet a holiday weekend when the public's attention is elsewhere, hoping that the bad news would pass without major exposure." Speaking of which: The Sestak Smell Test  "Jobs open up, in the language of the White House memo, "alternative paths to service" (read: power) that could give a man second thoughts about a Senate run. Could this just be sloppy language from Sestak? Maybe, maybe not."

Whose Blowout Is It, Anyway?

Charles Krauthammer "Obama didn't help much with his finger-pointing Rose Garden speech in which he denounced finger-pointing, then proceeded to blame everyone but himself. Even the grace note of admitting some federal responsibility turned sour when he reflexively added that these problems have been going on for a decade or more -- translation: Bush did it -- while, in contrast, his own interior secretary had worked diligently to solve the problem from the day he took office. Really?"

A 'war on terror' by any other name

Ed Lasky in AT "After a series of terror attacks (some successful; some thankfully not) Barack Obama has begun to realize his "see no evil, hear no evil" approach towards threats to Americans does not resonate with most voters.".....  WH Counterterror advisor: Jihad a 'legitimate tenet' of Islam "I am not confident that we will escape the next three years without a massive terrorist attack. At this level of denial comes extreme danger. Seeing the enemy as potential welfare customers will not win any battles and will probably get a lot of innocent people killed."  Rick Moran

That Thursday presidential press conference. (Or "presser", as they now say)

1. Sympathy for Obama? "Needless to say, Chairman Mao, Pol Pot, Fidel Castro, Robert Mugabe, Louis Farrakhan and Rev. Jeremiah Wright never had to deal with an oil spill. And there's certainly no mention of any such thing in the Most Holy Qur'an; not a single sura. So one can't really blame poor Barack for seeming to not know anything about oil spills. In this particular case, he doesn't have a single model to follow." American Thinker........

2. White House in Disarray  "To be sure, the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a disaster. BP must bear the economic costs of cleaning up its mess and the cause of the spill must be found. But now is not the time for President Obama to turn an environmental tragedy into an economic disaster. " Heritage. ......
3. Obama struggling to show he's in control of oil spill  "This is the familiar Obama: resolute and in charge. But six weeks after the spill began, those words seemed to highlight the difficulty he has had in convincing the country that he is on top of the situation. As oil continues to foul the gulf, the conflicting signals coming from the president and his team have imperiled his reputation for competence and coolness in the face of crisis." WaPo; Karen Tumulty.....
4.  Obama's Modesty: At Least I Never Said 'Drill, Baby, Drill'  "Nevermind that there's a place called ANWR--where it's much safer to drill--that Obama wants to keep off limits."  Weekly Stndard.....
5. He Was Supposed to Be Competent  "The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy." Peggy Noonan, WSJ....
6. A frustrated White House press corps bites the hand that feeds it  "A press corps that was accused early in his administration of treating him with kid gloves has grown increasingly critical of its limited access to him, and the result Thursday was an aggressive and skeptical line of inquiry." McClatchy...

Mike Ramirez cartoon; IBD

Boortz's list of Government Outrages for this week.

Nealz Nuze   One article of many:  Chicago 2016 paid six-figure compensation packages to executives on failed Olympic bid . And so on...