Friday, July 18, 2008

On the Vanity of Obama

Charles Krauthammer unmasks the overweening pride of Obama.

9 comments:

Tom Hinkle said...

Krauthammer jumped the gun. Obama will not be speaking at the Brandenburg Gate. To quote Obama's foreign policy advisor Denis McDonough, “The one thing that Sen. Obama made clear to us very early is that he didn’t think it made sense at all for him to speak at the Brandenburg Gate, which he thought would be perhaps too presumptuous."

Once again, when it comes to the extreme right, "He shoots, he misses!"

James Gordon said...

I think a bit of graciousness to Sen. Obama would be beneficial for you and the other far-right readers of your blog.

Whether or not you disagree with his policies (or lack of them), your continually demeaning and ungodly attitude and lack of graciousness demonstrate an logical inconsistency between your beliefs, actions, and ideals.

Certainly criticize Obama's ideas and policies with which you disagree, but please, be gracious.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D. said...

I report what I take to be true and significant about the man (character counts) and the politics (ideas count).

James Gordon said...

I understand that, but do you honestly think, syllogisms and logically coherence aside, that your attitude towards Obama is Christ-like?

Anonymous said...

James,

The fact that Obama is a canditate for the U.S. Presidency means that how fit he is for the job needs to be intelligently, logically, thoroughly, and wisely critiqued. (As Dr. Groothuis said, job fitness includes character and ideas.) It is the duty of the voting citizen, including the Christian voting citizen, to do so. This is different than begrudgingly taking unChrist-like pot-shots.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D. said...

Thanks, Sarah.

James:

For the record, I don't think I am perfectly Christ-like in anything. I am a justified by grace sinner, in the process of becoming more Christ-like.

However, I see no need to take anything back that I have written about Obama. Moreover, his profession of Christian faith does not impress me. The church he recently disowned is not evangelical, but liberal and into black liberation theology (ala James Cone). Obama claims he didn't attend enough to know about the hateful bile preached by his pastor. Jeremiah Wright. He also says he will not join another church until after the election. Strange indeed.

After the last presidential election, the dems made a point of more seriously courting evangelicals. Jim Wallis (far lefist) led the charge. So, they started trying to sound more religious. I am not impressed, given their pro-abotion, statist policies.

Tom Hinkle said...

Doug, there are some things in the past that you have said about Obama that do need to be taken back because they are not accurate, and if you persist in posting those things, you will be called on it. One example is your statement in a previous post that Obama would pull troops out of Afghanistan, when he has stated that he wants to put more troops in Afghanistan--but cannot as long as we are embroiled in Iraq because there just are not enough troops to go around.

There are legitimate reasons for not voting for Barack Obama. If abortion is the overriding issue, then, yes, Obama is not your man. If you want to stay in Iraq despite the fact that the Iraqi government that we helped establish no longer wants us there, by all means McCain is the guy. But people need to make informed decisions and vote for someone for the right reasons and not due to misinformation. I know some believe the end justifies the means, but as Christians, we cannot take that position. I see too many falling into the "perception is reality" trap.

Furthermore, there are many Christians who attend liberal churches. The evangelical church is not the whole church.

Douglas Groothuis, Ph.D. said...

Obama changes his mind so often, it is hard to keep up with him!

My comments on Afganistan were based on his basic anti-military, far-left positions. I figured he would not commit enough troops there. Then, he came out and backed a surge in Afganistan, even though he voted against a surge in Iraq, which has helped considerably.

McCain is a military man with long experience in the Senate. I trust him over O.

I was wagering that O would not do enough militarily anywhere. It think that is a safe bet. By the way, he has NO foreign policy experience and cannot be trusted.

On liberalism, please read J. Gresham Machen, Christianity and Liberalism. They are two different religions.

Tom said...

Doug,

You say, "My comments on [Obama on] Afganistan were based on his basic anti-military, far-left positions."

Can you be more specific? What "anti-military, far-left positions" has he advoicated that are relevant to your assertion about his position on Afganistan?

Merely opposing the Iraq war can't be enough since his position is that the war in Iraq was a diversion from the real threat we face from Islamic extremists in Afganistan.