Saturday, October 02, 2010

BullCrit II

Wow, it turns out I have another "Bullcrit" post from a couple of years ago.

It's a reference to this 1989 article I think I saw in Reason Magazine ... however, maybe it was originally from New York Magazine, because this is basically the article I remember.  We'll get to the Bullcrit part in a minute.

Right now I'm reading Dinesh D'Souza's "The Roots of Obama's Rage".   Now I wouldn't have picked this book up on its title alone ... as a matter of fact, I probably would have avoided it.  But I've read several editorials by this author over the last few years that were excellent, sound, level-headed dissertations.   The other is I saw him interviewed over the book, and was impressed by his approach.

I'm about halfway through it and I can't reccomend it enough.  If you want to understand where Barack Obama is coming from, get this book.  It gives us a good picture of Obama's influences and how they affected him throughout his childhood and college years up through his trip to Kenya.

A lot of the book is Obama's own words.   Most of those right out of "Dreams From My Father", his first autobiography.

On Fox & Friends the other morning, though, Geraldo Rivera was on (not long after Dinesh himself was on plugging the book) and he completely trashed it, bringing up "birthers" and "this concept of 'other'" and said it was "lazy" and I think "stupid".  Geraldo hasn't read the book.  I call Bullcrit!

Apparently Robert Gibbs the other day lashed out at the book, also lumping it in with birther conspiracy theorists.  It is nothing of the sort.  D'Souza very clearly agrees that Obama was born in Hawaii.   D'Souza is clearly no fan of Progressivism and thus no fan of Obama, but he did start out as the traditional loyal opposition when Obama was elected.  Yes, much of it is unflattering.  Some of it makes you feel a little sorry for the guy.   But this book provides needed context ... much of which should have been provided by our free press during the campaign process ... to make sense of what Obama says and does.

I have to admit, it does bring the man and his actions into sharp focus.  When I see that in my camera, I know I've got it about right.

I give it two thumbs up,

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