PrintFebruary 1, 2009
Super Bowl Politics
I hate to appear to be hyper-critical of everything President Obama does or says, but I can't resist analyzing his comments Saturday concerning his pick to win the Super Bowl. He stated that he is rooting for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
That in itself does not draw any criticism from me. But, his reasoning for favoring the Steelers was not due to his admiration for quarterback Ben Roethlisberger's leadership abilities on the field. Nor was it because of the energy and enthusiasm projected in the game by safety Troy Polamalu. It was not the Steeler's powerful offense, or their long-vaunted "Steel Curtain" defense.
Obama's rationale for supporting the Steelers is the fact that team owner Art Rooney Jr. was an "extraordinary supporter" (read: "giant contributor") of Obama during his presidential campaign. Unfortunately, this is the mindset of someone who has cut his political teeth through "the Chicago Way". You scratch my back, and I'll scratch yours. If you don't scratch my back, you better watch yours. Go Steelers!
Andrew Thomas publishes Darkangelpolitics.blogspot.com
