Never Compare An Old Flame To A New Flame...

Andrew Sullivan is on a roll today. Fresh off his triumphant proclamation that Barack Obama is just about the only real conservative around these days, Andrew becomes wrathful when lesser motals dare compare His Obamaness with nasty ol' George W.:

No one does it better than Mark Halperin. Every single thing he cites in his latest brain-dead critique is, I believe, tangibly false, and the moronic attempt to grab some pageviews by a counter-intuitive and utterly dumb analogy - Obama is like Bush, guys! Aren't I clever? - is Beltway hackery at its worst.

This administration has resolutely pursued policy before politics on the economy, the wars, and health insurance reform; has some real cabinet stars - Duncan, Gates and Geithner come immediately to mind - who have actually done the right thing rather than the politically expedient thing; and the president remains a completely different brand in the public mind than the Congress.

Halperinism really is part of what's deeply wrong about Washington. Obama really is the only thing that's still right.

Goodness. Halperin seems to have hit a nerve, wouldn't you say? Of course, at this point in W.'s presidency (early 2002) Andrew was in full swoon mode over Georgie and every little thing he did. Back then it was Bill Clinton who was the nasty one...

So what we really have here is Andrew going ballistic at being reminded that there have been times when his taste in man-crushes has been kinda, well, questionable. But, say la vee, as the Frogs croak. No doubt this love will be The One True One. Or at the very least it will be The One True One until the Republicans get rid of all those icky girls like Sarah Palin.

Irrespective, you have to admit he's cute when he's mad.

Comments

[Rashional]

"Obama is like Bush" is too much like Obama likes bush, for Sullivan's taste.

I am NOT a homophone. There's no denying that Sullivan emotes with a lot of subtext in lieu of serious analysis. He's got some kind of Bride of Christ complex or something and O is the Second Coming.

[Rashional]

Correction: the latest Second Coming. Don't quite see him wondering What Would President Paul Ryan Do, tho'. He's not as cute as George and Barack.

[richard mcenroe]

Wasn't that Andrew in the "Leave Britney Alone!" video?

[JoeCHI]

Someone needs to step away from the Kool-Aid enema.

[LP Steve]

Halperin's no less a douche for Andy's being the person to point it out. That said, I don't see what's so objectionable about this particular column. It's much more grounded than Sullivan's hackish defense of B.O. He really does invite the abuse, doesn't he?

[Mike C.]

"Irrespective, you have to admit he's cute when he's mad."

Please don't say such things, even in jest. You're distorting the fabric of the universe and giving me a headache.

[narciso]

Well Halperin got into this mess by reporting Obama's press releases and rumors about Sarah as fact, Henry Luce is rolling over, at what the hacks have done to his beloved Time magazine

[richard mcenroe]

Speaking of icky girls: A RAHM EMANUEL DECREE

[Satanam in computatrum]

"...is Beltway hackery at its worst"

In unrelated news, after this phrase was typed and posted by Sullivan, a random surge in irony reached critical mass, which led to its gravitational collapse and the creation of an irony black hole - infinite irony compressed into a single point.

[aelfheld]

. . . real cabinet stars [...] who have actually done the right thing . . .

What, exactly, have these cabinet 'stars' actually done? Seriously, when did cheating on your taxes become the 'right thing'?

[renaissance clothing]

I think Obama is no different to Bush.. I believe in some stories regarding the US government.. CIA involvement and some people really running the state and just using the president as a dummy..

[richard mcenroe]

BTW, "Flame" in a Sully thread? GLBTphobe! That is wrongspeak!