Obama: Waffling without a prepared speech and an adoring crowd

By Peggy Shapiro

Barack Obama needs a prepared speech, a teleprompter, and adoration. Left to his own extemporaneous devices, he missteps and in some cases "waffles."

Asked to comment on former President Jimmy Carter's meeting with Hamas officials, the senator replied sternly, "Why can't I just eat my waffle?" When the reporter repeated the question, the candidate bit into his breakfasts and replied, "Just let me eat my waffle."

The question was legitimate since Obama initially waffled on the subject of Carter's engagement with the terrorist organization Hamas. He said it was not his place to criticize former President Jimmy Carter... "I'm not going to comment on former President Carter. He's a private citizen. It's not my place to discuss who he shouldn't meet with," Obama (Reuters April 11, 2008) With the State Department and both Republican and Democratic members of Congress condemning the visit, Obama finally agreed that it was "not a good idea."

Why did the candidate snipe at the reporter's question? Clearly he was at the working-class diner as part of his campaign effort to show that he was not elitist, and he took time to sign autographs for adoring fans. Accustomed to being the darling of the press, Obama bristles and snaps at the "tough" questions. The first incident was a barrage of questions about new revelations about Obama's ties to Tony Rezko, who is on trial for corruption. (March 3, 2008) Obama, who was prepared for another press love fest with Chicago reporters (many of whom have Obama stickers on their bumpers), was stunned at the grilling and responded by berating Carol Marin NBC Channel 5 Chicago, snapping reporters and storming out, after answering only 8 questions.

Obama expected the mainstream media to throw him only easy questions and to accept his reply as gospel. Perhaps the press may have continued to give Obama a free ride were it not for the Saturday Night Live parody of the pro-Obama bias in the Democratic debates. Then Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos did the unthinkable: they asked Obama uncomfortable questions about his cordial relationships with men who hate and condemn America and to explain why those relationships won't be a problem. Obama muttered and sputtered even though he was not chewing on anything but his words. The following morning, his media minions were apoplectic at the line of questioning.

If Obama becomes president, he will encounter much harsher adversaries than Carol Marin, Charles Gibson and George Stephanopoulos. In fact, he plans face-to-face meetings with some of America's more virulent enemies. What waffling and whining will result when he discovers that Hugo Chavez and Mahmoud Ahmadinejad don't adore him?