The first shock watching the now-notorious “Dude interview” conducted by Bret Baier came when the guest was introduced as “Tommy.” I have to confess that because I share the same given name, I am sensitive to the nuances of its various forms. In my own life, only a handful of people, all of whom have known me for many decades (and most of whom knew me when I was a small child and was addressed that way by my parents), are permitted to call me “Tommy.” That form connotes intimacy, but it also lacks gravity. That’s why I use “Thomas” when I write, as opposed to “Tommy” or even “Tom.” (By the way, the same minor cringe applies to ex-president Jimmy Carter, whose use of that form of his name appalled many people of the old school.)

But even compared to Carter, Vietor’s performance more than justified the diminutive. He was appalling, a boy selected by Obama on the basis of loyalty to carry out grave responsibilities. Incompetence in domestic policies can have ruinous consequences in the long run, but incompetence in national security affairs can trigger war, and in the age of nuclear-armed mullahs or North Koreans, for example, that can get us all killed.

So Tommy Vietor has become emblematic of the entire Obama administration, full of amateurs not up to their responsibilities. Bill Clinton called Obama an “amateur,” and he was correct. Now, Tommy has gotten his own commix, courtesy of Doug Ross of Director Blue who notes, "Methinks Mr. Vietor will soon be back living in his van, down by the river."