Remember the apocryphal story from 1992, when -- we were told by a breathless press -- President Bush didn't even know how grocery scanners worked? As it turned out, the story was false (http://www.snopes.com/history/american/bushscan.asp) but it was used to great effect by a pro-Clinton media to paint the incumbent as out-of-touch.
Well, today comes a story about how President Obama apparently didn't know how to dial an Iphone (http://www.washingtontimes.com/blog/inside-politics/2012/sep/9/tech-challenge-obama-has-trouble-iphone/); the pool report describes him as looking "befuddled." If there were any justice, we'd hear as much about this as Bush and the scanner, but don't hold your breath -- even though, it seems, the President conceded his ineptitude, noting that he still uses a Blackberry!
What's even more revealing of his character is what comes next, according to the press account discussed by the Washington Times' Dave Boyer:
The president then has more trouble dialing. When the call didn't go through, he blamed [the phone's owner for having an insufficient cell phone plan.
President Obama, seeking to shift blame?! Who'd a thunk?
Truly, this is only a small episode, but it's revealing. Like many arrogant people, President Obama is also profoundly insecure -- hence his proclivity for blaming others rather than taking responsibility for his own shortcomings or ineptness.
The problem with this character trait is that it signals that, for the person displaying it, the paramount concern is with proving himself right or smart or best. And that means it's always "about" him, rather than about other people -- or the country.
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