Obama & God LLP The president goes from glibness to grandiosity on "matters of life and death."
By JAMES TARANTO
Obama & God LLP
It's been just over a year since the Rev. Rick Warren asked then-Sen. Barack Obama, "At what point does a baby get human rights, in your view?" The next president of the United States answered with a glib dodge: "Well, you know, I think that whether you're looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade."
At the time, we quipped: "Obama just can't win with these right-wingers, can he? For months they've been blasting him for acting like the Messiah. Now they're attacking him for acknowledging he's not God. Well, not yet, anyway."
We thought we were kidding. Then we read this report from Ben Smith of Politico:
A reader points out that President Obama's call with the rabbis today--as recorded in Rabbi Jack Moline's and other clerics' Twitter feeds--freights health care reform with a great deal of religious meaning, and veers into the blend of policy and faith that outraged liberals in the last administration."We are God's partners in matters of life and death," Obama said, according to Moline (paging Sarah Palin . . .), quoting from the Rosh Hashanah prayer that says that in the holiday period, it is decided "who shall live and who shall die."The president ended the call by wishing the rabbis "shanah tovah," or happy new year--in reference to the High Holidays a month from now."We are God's partners"?! Hmm, God & Obama? No, wait! Obama & God. Yeah, that's much better!
As Tevi Troy notes at National Review Online, "The reference to the 'who shall live and who shall die' prayer was strange. . . . Is this really the context in which he wishes to discuss health reform--a powerful and unseen being making determinations of life and death? One would think that he would want to avoid anything that could raise the specter of rationing, death panels, or the like."
Further, "We are God's partners in matters of life and death" is not part of the Rosh Hashanah liturgy. Those words are Obama's. Granted he is in a higher pay grade than he was a year ago--but not nearly as high as he seems to think.
Both the glib "above my pay grade" and the grandiose "we are God's partners" reflect a disturbing callowness on the president's part. Someone who seeks power over life-and-death matters--whether by running for president or by pushing for legislation vastly expanding governmental authority over medical choices--ought to be able at least to make a pretense of maturity and humility.
Josh Yuter, a rabbi and blogger who participated in the conference call, notes that the president urged the rabbis "to address the health care controversy in their upcoming High Holiday sermons"--an idea Yuter finds troubling:
To be sure, most of the Rabbis on the call probably would advocate for substantial health care reform anyway, and I do not know to what extent the President sought out religious leaders or the religious leaders proposed the audience with the President. In either case, I find the blurring of church and state to be disconcerting not only on political grounds (and legal/tax purposes), but also for competency. Rabbis have enough difficulty understanding the nuances and intricacies of their own religion to be promoting specific policies in areas for which they have no expertise.That's true of politicians as well as rabbis. If God needs a partner, you'd think he'd at least find someone with applicable skills.
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When Bush or Palin does it -= Bad, terrible, Right Wing, Wng Nut, Extreme, Bible Belt, etc.
When Obama does it =
