How Obama will Confront His "Straw Man" Reputation

wouldn't bet against your prediction unless I just wanted to lose my money. Having an unaccomplished, know nothing 'noobie' in the White House making himself look good to the deaf, dumb and blind by reading somebody else's words off a teleprompter while being "interviewed" via pre-determined questions by his very own staff of giddy strawmen is not a situation that would make me doubt your assessment/prediction. Nor does it make me feel secure. These are scary times indeed.

Good post Noam.

Well, the MSM would be working with him hand and hand anyhow Noam. Just watch MSNBC sometime. It has no qualms to just go on the attack against any perceived Obama enemy. If it were not for the alternative media, none of the ploys that Axel-Carville-Plouffe put forward would fail. Drop by sometime and rant.

Here's a bit that explains the Straw Man argument:

"Here’s the trick: Take your opponent’s argument to a ridiculous extreme, and then attack the extremists,” said William Safire, the former presidential speechwriter who writes the “On Language” column for The New York Times Magazine. “That leaves the opponent to sputter defensively, ‘But I never said that.’ ”
The telltale indicators that a straw man trick is on the way are the introductory words “there are those who say” or “some say.”
“In strawmanese, you never specify who ‘those who’ are,” Mr. Safire said. “They are the hollow scarecrows you set up to knock down.”

Is that D'ohbama or what? BTW, I wouldn't bet against your prediction either - it sounds spot on. D'ohbama could be forced into doing what you predict by Safire's piece on Straw Men in the NYT making D'ohbama feel like he must counter.

Timely post in light of Safire's piece ( I saw it earlier this weekend as well). You are correct, he has no choice but to rebuff the allegation. I'll bet along with you that he makes this play, and I'll raise you that he comes off looking more like a rank amateur than the leader of the free world.

Right now America is like an average guy who is dating a model that is a cokehead. They are enamored of her STYLE and OVERLOOK her SUBSTANCE. At some point, the baggage makes the relationship untenable and the average guy TURNS ON HER, drops her like a hot potato and recognizes her for what she is. America WILL reach that point SOON!

Obama could just change the subject and everyone would change with him.
He got out a moving reflective object and the press began to follow it.

SO...this prediction goes empty...for now.

Noam