An Instinct And Desire To Find Common Ground

Scott Pelley, CBS Evening News: The folks at home are so concerned about Washington's apparent inability to get big things done. How can you assure the American people that you are willing to go halfway and make a compromise with these people that you have, apparently, such acrimony with?

President Barack Obama: Well, Scott, I've gotta tell you -- there may be acrimony directed towards me, but you know what? That's not unique to my presidency. I'm willing to go more than halfway. And I've displayed that. I think that throughout my political career I've shown not only an instinct but a desire to find common ground. What I'm not willing to do is to slash education spending or, you know, healthcare for poor and needy children. And the reason I'm not willing to do that is because it's not gonna help the economy grow. Independent economists have looked at this ... It wouldn't reduce the deficit.

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Obama: "I've Shown Not Only An Instinct, But A Desire To Find Common Ground" | RealClearPolitics

an instinct and desire for common ground?

not according to bob woodward's new book, the price of politics

per wapo's watergate wonderboy, the only way a debt ceiling deal could be lifted last july, avoiding a default, was for the congressional big 4, led by harry reid and his courageous chief of staff david krone, to "vote obama off the island"

A president sidelined - The Washington Post

woodward's story begins on july 21, 2011

according to the author, who interviewed all the players, dozens of staff and had access to meeting minutes (he says)---on july 22 obama surprised speaker boehner with a sudden request for 400B more in taxes, after 800B had already been agreed to in principle

the next day, the 22nd, obama called the speaker all thru the day, but boehner refused to answer the phone

finally, later that evening boehner called the president and told him the deal was off

obama raged, then summoned the big 4, reid, mcconnell, boehner and pelosi to the white house on saturday morning, july 23

it was at that meeting that the president was "voted off the island"

"the leaders were asking him to leave the meeting he called in his own house"

"that was it, congress was taking over"

obama fumed, "moaning and groaning and whining and complaining and threatening:"

"the only thing i actually asked for, they (reid and pelosi) didn't get for me"

he called the put-upon pair to the white house at 6 pm the next day

pelosi didn't go, and reid turned the meeting over to krone, a wonk, who told the president:

“mr president, i am sorry---with all due respect---the first thing that baffles me is, from my private sector experience, the first rule that i’ve always been taught is to have a plan B, and it is really disheartening that you, that this white house do not have a plan B”

obama blew up, then apologized to krone ("i'm sorry, you didn't deserve that")

woodward, by the way, questions obama directly on each of these events ("how did it feel to be voted off the island," for example, in an interview july 11, 2012)

obama doesn't deny any part of woodward's account, he just gives his by now hackneyed talking points like we've all heard a thousand times

"i'm not concerned with protocol," were his exact words, according to the guy who got nixon

read woodward, if you dare---you will find it very difficult to justify another vote for barack hussein obama, perpetually pissed president punt

an instinct and desire to find common ground are beyond obama's temperament

no wonder nyt's jodi kantor wrote two weeks ago that barack obama was an "ultra competitive egotist," an "insufferable overachiever," who "tends to overestimate his capabilities"

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/u...itics-and-everything-else.html?pagewanted=all

that kinda behavior can get you voted off islands