President Obama , “Optimal”, and the Optimistic Election of Mitt Romney

Obama Not in "Optimal" Form on the Daily Show

“If four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal, and we’re going to fix it.” –  President Barack Obama, The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

There’s been a lot of back-and-forth over Romney’s flubs with “47%” and “Binders full of women”. In the spirit of equal access and opportunity, I would like to showcase one of many smart quips from the Romney camp lampooning President Obama, and one comment from President Obama which received a great deal of criticism from the normally accommodating Mainstream Media.

Last week, the two Presidential candidates attended the Alfred Smith Catholic Charity dinner, a tradition among Presidential candidates every election. The two politicians customarily spar sparingly, but one zinger from Romney deserves particular note:

“In the spirit of Sesame Street, the President’s Remarks are brought to you by the letter “O” and the number 16 trillion!”

“Bwah Hah Hah!” laughed the Count, who gave up counting after one trillion, I am certain. I am sure that many will find the humor in this quip, for all of its bare truth and mirth. Big Bird does not have to worry about ending up on the bread line, I am certain, but the 23 million out of work are probably wondering why the Obama administration is wasting time on petty attack ads featuring the fulsome fowl all covered in yellow instead of leading Congress to enact budget reform, tax cuts, and spending reductions.

The Mainstream Media commentators are abandoning their posts as surrogates for the Obama Administration. For example, Romney surrogate John Sununu blasted through Mitchell’s failed attempts to salvage President Obama’s outsourcing issues.

Andrea Mitchell and MSNBC co-anchors criticized President Obama’s appearance on the “Daily Show with Jon Stewart.” Normally, I am not a Jon Stewart fan, but I have to admit that he is willing to challenge Democrats and Republicans on the issues, and President Obama, now more than ever, has nothing to stand on to defend his lackluster performance with the economy and his disastrous foreign policy, one which makes former President Jimmy Carter’s last days look like V-E Day under FDR.

Stewart pressed the President on the terrorist travesty that overtook Benghazi, then chided the President for the lack of security at the site: “Not the optimal response, at least.”

President Obama responded: “Here’s what I’ll say – if four Americans get killed, it’s not optimal.”

US Senator and previous GOP Presidential candidate John McCain jumped on this poorly articulated response: – “The optimal line is regrettable, sad.” McCain then described the President’s excuse, that the Obama Administration had received adequate information about the security of the American Embassy in Libya, as “disingenuous statements”.

Even Mitchell comment that the Embassy and the White House were in contact with real time information – open lines were available from Benghazi as the attack was taking place.

The Commander in Chief, who has failed to command debt reduction, job creation, and national security with any panache or permanence, doffed Stewart’s question by repeating the word “optimal.”

 “Why  would he repeat the word “optimal”? He has to understand – politicians at the (presidential) level usually don’t make that mistake,” also retorted MSNBC reporters.

Apparently, President Obama did not care about the interview. He anticipated some soft-ball questions from the Comedy Central Host, more likely, since his appearance on the show was meant to shore up his liberal base.

Let’s talk about other issues that have not been “optimal” under the Obama Administration:

He supported massive auto bailouts to GM, but not to Chrysler, likely because GM includes big contributors like the United Auto Workers.

The President’s signature legislation, the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) is forcing businesses to downsize or resist hiring new employees. The provision requiring hospitals to provide contraception, whether it wars against the teachings of a faith community, has put the Presidency at odds with religious groups in the United States. The law imposes a huge tax on working families, raids Medicare by $716 billion dollars, and is forcing hospitals to close while increasing costs and diminishing Americans’ access to health care.

President Obama has fostered a cut-and-run policy in Afghanistan, even while our armed forces are still maintaining some semblance of order, all while American-trained Afghan forces are now firing on our own troops.

The President first declined against then came out supporting  gay marriage, a social policy which puts him at odds with his African-American base as well as the majority of voters in the country.

Domestic and foreign threats have gone almost unheeded, from the Fort Hood shooting in 2009 to the nuclear threat of the fanatical Iranian regime. This nation’s relationship with Israel has strained over the last three years. For all of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanhayu’s blatant protests, President Obama has distanced himself from imposing and enforcing tough sanctions, instead choosing to visit the morning talk show “The View” then “Late Night with David Letterman”.

President Obama’s administration has not been optimal for the country, and times will look more optimistic when Governor Mitt Romney is elected the next President of the United States.