I’m not the world’s greatest poker player, but I thought the point of bluffing was not to tell the other players that one was bluffing? “Don’t call my bluff” seems a plea for mercy, not a threat, as in, Don’t expose the fact that I have no cards to play.
Every week or so, we get a small glimpse into the strange world of Barack Obama — inflating tires instead of drilling, trading in all those 8-mpg cars, tuning up (points?) our cars, confusing Memorial Day with Veterans Day, a finished border fence, Cinco de Quatro, corpse-men, etc. — that could be the sort of understandable slips that result from a grueling 365-days-a-year speaking and campaigning schedule, except for the fact that between 2001 and 2008 we were told, one, that such declarations were windows into a clueless presidential mind and soul, and two, that Barack Obama was the cool sort of Ivy League lawyer who was going to bring competence, fluency, and intelligence back to the presidency, a sort of Lincoln in Brooks Brothers pinstripes.
CAPCHA: have an inkling. Good advice for VDH, I think. "Don't call my bluff"; that is, if you do, you may find out I'm not bluffing. I wonder sometimes about Mr Hanson's judgment of the intelligence of the folks for whom he writes. When he says things as transparently silly as this, it's hard to believe that opinion is especially favorable.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think you need to check the definition of the term "bluff." If you are characterizing what you are doing as bluffing, you're telling the listener you're not serious, you have no cards to play, etc. Time to walk back the "transparently silly" charge.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAgain, anyone who actually plays poker knows no one would ever say this. The best thing in the world is to have your opponent think you're bluffing and go all in, only to watch you lay down a full boat to his three of a kind. You'd NEVER warn him that you're not bluffing.
Bottom line: Obama has no poker face.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abusestop embarrassing yourself.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseCollecting typos is a step down for Mr. Hanson.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGee, good think you've got that nifty cop hat, Jason, what with your invaluable contributions to the discussion. Keep up the good work, you're a real boon to the reputation of NRO as the bastion of true conservatives.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMy comment had a point. Yours is just trash talk without any substance to it. You may not agree with my comment but it addresses the post. That's more of a contribution than what you're doing here.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseGet over yourself.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAnother substance-free comment from you. Do you have anything to add to this discussion?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWhat discussion, Jason? All I see is snark from you.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseHe is just a meat puppet for his Statist masters. When they forget to pull the strings and he goes off script, bad things happen.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wonder how this will play in all 57 states.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, to be fair, Obama continued by saying that "he would take this to the American people", implying he thought he could win a showdown. He's warning Boehner not to think he's bluffing. Didn't say it perfectly clearly, but the meaning is obvious.
Of course, this is to engage in a charitable interpretation of Obama's words that never happens for Republicans (see Bachmann, Michelle), but we shouldn't stoop to their level, should we?
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think I will start referring to Obama as Wile E. Coyote. He's a (supposed) "Super Genius" yet all his brilliant plans and plots wind up failing miserably. (Not to mention how many of his plans sent things "over a cliff".) As far as the road-runner, well, take your pick; the economy, reality.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI hope this empty suit doesn't wear Brooks Brothers pinstripes.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseNope. Just a David Brooks-approved crease.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama is a genius, and if you don't believe it, just look at his college grades or read his law review papers.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAlso, read all the interviews had with his college and law school classmates. To a person they remember what a bright and memorable guy he was.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseObama is the kind of guy who brags about his poker skills, then asks the guy next to him what the little numbers in the corner of his cards mean.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThat's not a kind of guy.
Reply to this commentLinkReport Abuse