You know the scene from the movie Bambi. The evil hunters are shooting up the entire forest, apparently possessed of limitless ammo, shooting at everything that moves, or makes a sound, or just shooting. (Forget the fact that anyone who has ever hunted knows that hunters often spend days without firing a shot, and that one thing hunters never do is take random shots. They go out looking for a specific thing, normally shoot only at one kind of animal, and then only if there is a likely hit potential.)
So the young bird is sitting in the bushes, hiding, as the hunters are blazing away. The older, more experienced bird keeps saying urgently, “Don’t fly! Don’t fly!” But the young bird is just too rattled, and can’t bear the tension of waiting in the relative safety of the bushes, and flies anyway… to the predictable end.
This has become a cliche in movies. I’ve been in theaters where the audience actually tries to convince the people on screen not to open the door.
But, just lately, I’ve noticed something else. It seems to be the blonde chick who can’t hold still and wait for the danger to pass. The example that came to mind today is the 2005 movie (not even quite a grade B) Komodo vs. Cobra, about giant lizards and snakes on a tropical island, the result of (stereotypically) careless military experimentation. The komodo can’t see people if they don’t move. So everyone is holding still, but it’s the blonde chick who just can’t hold still, and alerts the dragon to their presence.
At least she was the one who got eaten, as the others ran. There is some small justice in the movies, sometimes.
I have the impression that the Obama administration is in the role of the blonde chick regarding everything from the economy and the Gulf oil spill to health care and foreign policy, especially regarding threats to Israel, and threats from Iran, Russia and China, not to mention North Korea.
There are times when the Obama administration really should just hold still, let events take their course, and accept that there are realities in the world that it can’t undo and can hardly affect, except for the worse. But it just can’t seem to hold still and wait for the predators to pass.
It’s risible. The feds take action on health care (which will be about as useful as yelling “run” when you’re trying to hide from a tyranosaurus that’s 10 feet away). They pass a “stimulus” bill that stimulates nothing but our national debt, and they “bail out” various banks and GM, about like giving a blood transfusion to a gunshot victim without sewing up the wound, all without dealing with the incoming gunfire.
Obama basically gave away our missile defense system for Europe, that would have provided at least some shield against a nuclear Iran, all because it just couldn’t seem to resist the urge to do something specific to “improve” our relations with Russia, to “reset” our Russian diplomacy.
The Obama administration just can’t resist the urge to take action when it will do no good, and probably do harm.
At the same time, when quick, decisive action is called for, such as on the Gulf oil spill (why, oh why, aren’t they throwing the full resources of the government into building the berms that Governor Jindal wants, skimming and burning, putting up booms, etc.?), Obama dithers, apparently flash-frozen in fear of being seen to do something whose outcome he can’t fully predict… like that ever stopped him before. Of course, even more frightening, maybe he really thinks he can predict the outcome of raising taxes, printing Monopoly money, and taking over national healthcare…. and thinks it will be good.
Holey moley.
And when a quick statement is needed in support of Israel’s right to enforce a blockade on Gaza (which is essentially in a perpetual state of war with Israel, under Hamas), all Obama can muster is a tepid “we’ll have to investigate.” And his gutless response to North Korea’s sinking of a ship belong to one of our allies, South Korea, is not exactly inspiring.
From what I can tell, Obama exercises “statesmanlike restraint” at all the worst times, when he really needs to be doing something. And when it’s time to recognize that natural events must take their course (mismanaged companies need to fail), Obama explodes in a fury of activity.
All this while sensible people are constantly telling him, “Don’t fly! Don’t fly!”
I fear that there are some real predators who are about to see him as fair game. I hope he doesn’t take too many of us with him.
