# Obama steps in it again **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [March 19, 2009, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051 "2009-03-19T18:27:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/61 "2009-03-20T19:17:40Z")
Still a step up from Bush, though, who never listened to anyone and never changed his mind, no matter how transparently stupid his ideas were. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/62 "2009-03-20T19:18:25Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > What a stupid person he is for thinking it was a good idea in the first place! But no, not to the Obama fans. He changed his mind when he was corrected. Big deal! It makes him no less stupid. It makes him someone who can learn, which is frankly invaluable these days. If you’re looking for someone who gets it all right on the first try, you’re going to be looking for a very long time. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/63 "2009-03-20T19:45:48Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > You clowns can make fun of me all you want. I pay about as much attention to your yapping as I do stray dogs in the street. However, stop to ponder this. Not a single goddamn one of you pack of idiots even considered this concept: the fact that Obama even thought of doing this in the first place was outrageous and totally immoral. And for that, you should all be ashamed of yourselves. > > But you won’t be. It wasn’t a good idea. Nobody is disputing that. But what is equally clear is that you will never give credit to anything Obama does right. I don’t see you going out there and starting threads giving props to him for proposing the largest budget increase in VA history. Nor do you give him credit for restoring VA health coverage to half a million veterans who since 2003 were stopped from visiting VA hospitals, reversing a bad idea from the Bush Administration. But nobody expects that you will call George Bush immoral for preventing hundreds of thousands of veterans from even enrolling in the VA health care system. That’s why nobody cares about whether anything you say has any truth to it. You’re not credible on any political issue. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/64 "2009-03-20T19:50:39Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > But what is equally clear is that you will never give credit to anything Obama does right. I don’t see you going out there and starting threads giving props to him for proposing the largest budget increase in VA history. Nor do you give him credit for restoring VA health coverage to half a million veterans who since 2003 were stopped from visiting VA hospitals, reversing a bad idea from the Bush Administration. Only because it’s expected of anyone with half a brain. Any stupid misstep is just that…stupid. And if your standard is that Obama is marginally better than Bush, we have a big problem. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/65 "2009-03-20T19:53:21Z")
> [@Bosstone](#): > > It makes him someone who can learn, which is frankly invaluable these days. If you’re looking for someone who gets it all right on the first try, you’re going to be looking for a very long time. You’re looking for someone who doesn’t have to learn on the job. You’re looking for someone who doesn’t make stupid mistakes. Anyone can learn. It’s not especially admirable except when it’s about Obama and it’s Obama fans that are speaking. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/66 "2009-03-20T19:54:38Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > What a stupid person he is for thinking it was a good idea in the first place! But no, not to the Obama fans. He changed his mind when he was corrected. Big deal! It makes him no less stupid. It was a stupid idea, and when someone told him, he actually listened and changed his mind. Holy shit. The Decider would have either gotten no such input from his echo chamber full of Yes Men, or would have ignored it and gone ahead. Which is more stupid? To have a bad idea and abandon it, or to charge full steam ahead with it? Yes, I know it’s “equivalency”, but I don’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/67 "2009-03-20T19:57:42Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > You’re looking for someone who doesn’t have to learn on the job. You’re looking for someone who doesn’t make stupid mistakes. Anyone can learn. It’s not especially admirable except when it’s about Obama and it’s Obama fans that are speaking. _Everyone_ makes stupid mistakes. A good person will admit it and correct their mistakes, given the opportunity. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/68 "2009-03-20T19:58:04Z")
“Anyone who makes mistakes is unfit for office.” **Anduril** , do you agree with this statement? ---
**Author:** ![Una\_Persson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/una_persson/32/346_2.png) [@Una\_Persson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Una_Persson)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/69 "2009-03-20T19:58:28Z")
Obama makes mistakes and owns up to them. Some of his politics I do not agree with at all, but I respect him much more than any President in a very long time. I honestly hope he remains fallible and continues making mistakes, instead of being “always right, my way or highway” and having a spin machine of enormous proportions to hide behind. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/70 "2009-03-20T20:05:20Z")
I agree that reversing course when corrected is the right thing to do. I don’t agree that it is especially admirable. And I don’t agree with people not criticizing the President for the stupid mistake and applauding instead that he reversed course when he was corrected. If the President says “1+1=3” but corrected that when he was told that was wrong, will the natural reaction be “at least he corrected himself” or “what an idiot”. Everyone who is NOT an Obama fan will choose the latter. All of you here are choosing the former. That’s pathetic. ---
**Author:** ![SteveG1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bb73d2/32.png) [@SteveG1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SteveG1)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/71 "2009-03-20T20:11:57Z")
> [@Una\_Persson](#): > > Obama makes mistakes and owns up to them. Some of his politics I do not agree with at all, but I respect him much more than any President in a very long time. I honestly hope he remains fallible and continues making mistakes, instead of being “always right, my way or highway” and having a spin machine of enormous proportions to hide behind. The last president I can remember actually changing course and admitting he was wrong, was John F. Kenney after the Bay of Pigs fiasco. Most people thought better of him for it. I’d much rather hear “I’m an idiot, I fucked up, it’s all my fault” rather than the past 8 years of “stay the course”. Anduril, if you don’t see the difference between “accidental” stupidity and deliberate willful stupidity, then I won’t waste my time trying to explain it. ---
**Author:** ![Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8edcca/32.png) [@Hentor\_the\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hentor_the_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/72 "2009-03-20T20:12:16Z")
**Anduril** , you’re a retard. ---
**Author:** ![Algorithm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/algorithm/32/12204_2.png) [@Algorithm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Algorithm)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/73 "2009-03-20T20:13:19Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > If the President says “1+1=3” but corrected that when he was told that was wrong, will the natural reaction be “at least he corrected himself” or “what an idiot”. Everyone who is NOT an Obama fan will choose the latter. Or maybe you’re just looking for reasons to hate him, and the other people are trying to be optimistic and forgiving. > [@Anduril](#): > > All of you here are choosing the former. That’s pathetic. Oh, I see. You’re just an asshole. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/74 "2009-03-20T20:13:56Z")
Matters of policy are a little more complex than arithmetic. Just a tad. And [you’re very, very wrong on nobody criticizing the original decision](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=510634). It took until post 8 in that thread for someone to offer a defense of Obama’s action, and that was hardly a resounding round of applause. Nobody criticized the decision in _this_ thread because by the time it was posted, he’d already changed his mind. As for any “applause,” the wrong decision had already been made, and any positive reactions toward Obama are because he had two choices from there: either ignore advice and press on, or listen to the advice and change his mind. When the former President would have done the first, the current President did the second, and that’s something to be happy about. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/75 "2009-03-20T20:17:39Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > Only because it’s expected of anyone with half a brain. Any stupid misstep is just that…stupid. And if your standard is that Obama is marginally better than Bush, we have a big problem. You’ve made a rather stupid mistake, in that my point of bringing up Bush was NOT to compare him with Obama. My point of bringing up some of Bush’s lamentable record on veterans was to show that the OP’s outrage doesn’t appear to extend to political allies. Apparently, you were unable to accurately read what I posted. Will you admit your mistake? Or shall we continually remind you that you seem to have a problem with understanding other people’s points? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/76 "2009-03-20T20:19:53Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > If the President says “1+1=3” but corrected that when he was told that was wrong, will the natural reaction be “at least he corrected himself” or “what an idiot”. Everyone who is NOT an Obama fan will choose the latter. All of you here are choosing the former. That’s pathetic. Ya, except it’s not 1+1=3 and that’s an extremely obtuse analogy. If he had said something like “I believe the VA is part of the Department of Aviation” and then corrected himself, we’d have something to talk about. That’s a known fact and we’d have been left scratching our heads saying “Obama probably should have known better…” This isn’t fact. It’s opinion. All policy decisions are. And it’s an opinion which he held for what? 24 hours? We’ve been debating this stupid topic longer than that! ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/77 "2009-03-20T20:21:26Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > I agree that reversing course when corrected is the right thing to do. I don’t agree that it is especially admirable. If you don’t agree that it’s admirable, then why do you think it’s “the right thing to do”? > [@Anduril](#): > > If the President says “1+1=3” but corrected that when he was told that was wrong, will the natural reaction be “at least he corrected himself” or “what an idiot”. Everyone who is NOT an Obama fan will choose the latter. All of you here are choosing the former. That’s pathetic. The main reason people are saying, “well at least he changed his mind” is because we’re just not used to hearing that. For the last 8 years, we’ve been told “1 + 1 = 3, and if you say otherwise **you’re** stupid (and a traitor).” It’s like the breath of fresh air right after a fart floats away; you wish you hadn’t encountered it in the first place, but at least it’s not there anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Anduril](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c0e974/32.png) [@Anduril](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anduril)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/78 "2009-03-20T20:36:41Z")
Sorry for riling the Obama fans club. I’m done with the thread. ---
**Author:** ![LilShieste](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/9f8e36/32.png) [@LilShieste](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LilShieste)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/79 "2009-03-20T20:38:50Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > Sorry for riling the Obama fans club. I’m done with the thread. You forgot your ball… ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [March 20, 2009, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051/80 "2009-03-20T20:40:07Z")
> [@Anduril](#): > > Sorry for riling the Obama fans club. I’m done with the thread. At least Obama wasn’t sarcastic when he apologized to the veterans community. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/obama-steps-in-it-again/490051.md?page=5)