The Insider's Crusade

New York Times ^ | Nov. 21, 2008 | David Brooks

[SumProVita]

"Jan. 20, 2009, will be a historic day. Barack Obama (Columbia, Harvard Law) will take the oath of office as his wife, Michelle (Princeton, Harvard Law), looks on proudly. Nearby, his foreign policy advisers will stand beaming, including perhaps Hillary Clinton (Wellesley, Yale Law), Jim Steinberg (Harvard, Yale Law) and Susan Rice (Stanford, Oxford D. Phil.).

The domestic policy team will be there, too, including Jason Furman (Harvard, Harvard Ph.D.), Austan Goolsbee (Yale, M.I.T. Ph.D.), Blair Levin (Yale, Yale Law), Peter Orszag (Princeton, London School of Economics Ph.D.) and, of course, the White House Counsel Greg Craig (Harvard, Yale Law).

This truly will be an administration that looks like America, or at least that slice of America that got double 800s on their SATs. Even more than past administrations, this will be a valedictocracy — rule by those who graduate first in their high school classes. If a foreign enemy attacks the United States during the Harvard-Yale game any time over the next four years, we’re screwed."

[SumProVita]

If you are not howling with laughter by the time you get to the end of the 3rd paragraph.....something's VERY wrong.

[kittymyrib]

Brooks respects Eric Holder...thus proving that he is an enemy of the Constitution of the United States of America.

[SandRat]

Nothing says "Merry Fitzmas!" like a porcelain ornament of Barack Obama in a Santa hat from Arizona Daily (RED) Star cartoonist David Fitzsimmons'.

[Carl LaFong]

Brooks is the NYT’s idea of a ‘conservative’: Someone slightly to the right William Ayers.

[mimaw]

I would like to inform Mr. Brooks it was the extremely well educated on Wall Street that concocted all those cute little mortgage bundles that got us into a world of trouble. It was also the Clinton educated ad visors that failed to kill Bin Laden and left us open to the attack on 9-11-01. As far as not appointing hacks sorry Mr. Brooks but that's exactly what I see the appointment s of Eric Holder and Tom Dasshole as. They are partisan democrat hacks. I'm looking forward to the day when the NY Times folds and the hacks that write for them are in soup lines.

[dynachrome]

Shouldn’t that be “Merry Kwanzaa”?

[SumProVita]

;-))

I am sooooo with you on this!!!

[Enchante]

This column is yet another reminder (as though we needed one) that David Brooks is a dandified (I was going to use a cruder term) beltway weenie who does not have the interests, ideals, or principles of conservatives anywhere near his heart.

I will note that Obambi could have chosen far more recklessly than he has done so far, but still, the fact that these people have fancy higher degrees from the approved institutions comes nowhere close to indicating that they have the judgment and principles needed.

Once upon a time I was “one of them” myself — top of class from high school to graduate school, top SAT and GRE scores, Ivy League graduate degree, etc. Along the way I finally figured out that the people around me, while very clever, were frequently devoid of human decency, ethics, depth of thought, and principles.

In fact, being continually rewarded for one’s “intelligence” in our current liberal academic system is a disincentive to actual independent, critical thought about the travesties of liberalism.

[hinckley buzzard]

If a foreign enemy attacks the United States during the Harvard-Yale game any time over the next four years, we’re screwed."

Considering that it has been a collection of Ivy League a-holes who have gotten us into this jackpot, I would say that if a foreign enemy attacks the United States any time over the next four years, we're screwed.

[SumProVita]

This deserves a repeat:

“...being continually rewarded for one’s “intelligence” in our current liberal academic system is a disincentive to actual independent, critical thought about the travesties of liberalism.”

[mimaw]

Many of them also lack an essential attribute for true success something called common sense.

[montomike]

It’s be nice to get some normal people to rule us rather than the effete, intellectual, IVY LEAGUE snobs.

[bitterohiogunclinger]

“This truly will be an administration that looks like America, or at least that slice of America that got double 800s on their SATs. Even more than past administrations, this will be a valedictocracy — rule by those who graduate first in their high school classes.”
Most of them cheated on the bar exams, One of them should be prosecuted for obstruction of justice for “hiding files” under subpoena, and none of these “Washington Insidewhores” has the common sense God gave a Potato.

[SumProVita]

My guess is that Obama didn’t get anywhere near the 800’s on his SAT exams. I still find myself wondering HOW he got admitted to Harvard.

[originalbuckeye]

Probably affirmative action. Michelle said that she was surprised that she got into Princeton with her test scores. Are they so narcissistic that they don't realize they were AA picks?

[SumProVita]

“Are they so narcissistic that they don’t realize ...

Actually...I think so.

[upchuck]

Hillary Clinton - change?
Jim Steinberg - change?
Susan Rice - change?
Jason Furman - change?
Austan Goolsbee - change?
Blair Levin - change?
Peter Orszag - change?
Greg Craig - change?

This truly will be an administration that looks like America...

God please bless our poor country.

[truthguy]

This truly will be an administration that looks like America, or at least that slice of America that got double 800s on their SATs. Even more than past administrations, this will be a valedictocracy — rule by those who graduate first in their high school classes

1ST Comment:
You can bet your last nickle that BO and MO didn't even come close to getting double 800s on their SAT scores. If they did it would be all over the press.

2nd Comment:
I don't remember who said this but it went something like this, ..."better to be ruled by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone book than by the Harvard Faculty. You would better, freer, and more intelligent government. "

Maybe someone can tell me who made comment #2.

[timestax]

."better to be ruled by the first 2,000 names in the Boston telephone book than by the Harvard Faculty. You would better, freer, and more intelligent government. "

DITTO! Sounds good to me!

[who_would_fardels_bear]

"Maybe someone can tell me who made comment #2."

William F. Buckley, Jr.

R.I.P.