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During long-winded Biden speech, Obama wrote to aide ‘Shoot. Me. Now.’

posted at 12:48 pm on April 23, 2012 by

As was demonstrated in the recent Ted Nugent kerfuffle, the Secret Service (when they are not otherwise engaged), takes threats against the president seriously. Except when the threat comes from the president himself (or, in this case, future president).

Jim Geraghty, writing at National Review Online, quotes a passage from Jodi Kantor’s The Obamas that gives some insight into then-Senator Barack Obama’s view of his colleague from Delaware, Joe “Welcome to the Cracked Head Club” Biden:

Initially, Barack had tuned out the presidential talk, too. But he was just as disappointed with the U.S. Senate as he had been with the state senate—he had gone to Washington to do big things, but he was a junior member of a slow, rule-bound, Republican-controlled body. ‘Shoot. Me. Now.’ he wrote to an aide, in the middle of a particularly long-winded oration. (The speaker was Senator Joe Biden.)

The passage is also revealing of Obama’s youth and inexperience—the naïveté with which he came to Washington expecting to “do big things” rather than assuming the humdrum role of serving the constituency that had voted him into office and the nation at large.

It is also fitting and appropriate that the man whose droning on bored Obama to distraction would return the compliment after he was chosen as Obama’s second and command. Here is the video.

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Obama picks Elmer Fudd for VP. Channels Daffy Duck from an old Chuck Jones cartoon as a result.

jon1979 on April 23, 2012 at 1:00 PM

jon1979 on April 23, 2012 at 1:00 PM

Now you’ve gone and done it. The Elmer Fudd and Daffy Duck lobbies are going to be picketing this site.

Howard Portnoy on April 23, 2012 at 1:13 PM

The passage is also revealing of Obama’s youth and inexperience—the naïveté with which he came to Washington expecting to “do big things” rather than assuming the humdrum role of serving the constituency that had voted him into office and the nation at large.

Well said. It’s also (as if we needed any) further proof of his narcissism, as if to say, I’m too good to do this penny-ante stuff. And there is plenty of evidence he’s become bored and annoyed even with the Presidency.

inviolet on April 23, 2012 at 1:30 PM

Does that mean the Secret Service should investigate Obama for threatening his own life?

Doughboy on April 23, 2012 at 1:54 PM

The passage is also revealing of Obama’s youth and inexperience—the naïveté with which he came to Washington expecting to “do big things” rather than assuming the humdrum role of serving the constituency that had voted him into office and the nation at large.

Come on. I’d write the same thing if I had to listen to Joe Biden for more than ten seconds.

MadisonConservative on April 23, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Come on. I’d write the same thing if I had to listen to Joe Biden for more than ten seconds.

MadisonConservative on April 23, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Vogon poetry comes to mind.

gravityman on April 23, 2012 at 3:17 PM

Does that mean the Secret Service should investigate Obama for threatening his own life?

Doughboy on April 23, 2012 at 1:54 PM

How about the Senate disciplinary committee censuring him for inciting violence on the Senate floor?

Expected to do great things in the IL state senate??? Now that I’ve wiped the soda off of my monitor, all he did was vote present. And how exactly does one accomplish anything by voting present?

Nutstuyu on April 23, 2012 at 3:37 PM

President Obama and the election campaign for 2012 democrat convention will replace Joe Biden!

He will either have an accident, illness or family crisis that will necessitate that Biden retire and Obama will announce yet another most awesome-est thing… ever… done, by any other person in the history of the world moment.

It will also cut down the amount of time the republicans and third party candidates would have to respond to the bait and switch. Joe is a major thorn in the side for democrats, buffoonery is a special gift for Joe.

NEVER ever underestimate this President and the democrat party in general. POWER is EVERYTHING!

ActinUpinTexas on April 23, 2012 at 3:41 PM

The passage is also revealing of Obama’s youth and inexperience—the naïveté with which he came to Washington expecting to “do big things” rather than assuming the humdrum role of serving the constituency that had voted him into office and the nation at large.

Man – he grew up SO fast in that 37 minutes he spent in the Senate. Glad we elected him POTUS.

CycloneCDB on April 23, 2012 at 4:27 PM

Come on. I’d write the same thing if I had to listen to Joe Biden for more than ten seconds.

MadisonConservative on April 23, 2012 at 2:32 PM

Yup.

Bobbertsan on April 23, 2012 at 5:08 PM

He was starting to draft the long awaited third volume in his trilogy of autobiographies.

“On the Senate floor, I was introduced to dog meat (Biden), snake meat (Reid), and roasted grasshopper (Murray).”

pedestrian on April 23, 2012 at 7:18 PM

I don’t like Obama, but that IS funny.

blackgriffin on April 23, 2012 at 8:15 PM

It’s a shame he didn’t have an obedient aide.

S. D. on April 23, 2012 at 8:44 PM

…he had gone to Washington to do big things, but he was a junior member of a slow, rule-bound, Republican-controlled body.

My goodness, am I ever so glad we’ve moved from that moribund dinosaur to the Action-Packed Cauldron of Legislative Achievement For The American People that is the Democratic-controlled Senate.

Mr. Bingley on April 24, 2012 at 8:31 AM

Too bad he didn’t qualify for a Darwin Award right then and there. I’m pretty sure following that order would be illegal as well as stupid.

MelonCollie on April 24, 2012 at 9:11 AM

Does that mean the Secret Service should investigate Obama for threatening his own life?

Doughboy on April 23, 2012 at 1:54 PM

Since from a legal standpoint the office of a senator might be separate from the personality occupying the position as senator, I’d say the answer to this question is a likely “Yes”.

Difficultas_Est_Imperium on April 24, 2012 at 12:18 PM