"Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler..."

It may be indicative of Barack Obama's ignorance and lack of curiosity regarding American history that he failed to capitalize on the fact that the 1930s-era US senator mentioned in President Bush's Israel speech was a Republican.

William Edgar Borah (June 29, 1865 near Fairfield, Illinois – January 19, 1940 Washington, D.C.) was a prominent Republican attorney and longtime United States Senator from Idaho noted for his oratorical skills and isolationist views. One of his nicknames later in life was "The Lion of Idaho." [snip]

Borah may be best known today for having allegedly said, in September 1939, after Germany invaded Poland, "Lord, if only I could have talked to Hitler, all of this might have been avoided."

The quote has been repeatedly cited as evidence of the alleged naivete of attempts to negotiate with one's enemies.

A less emotional and more nimble candidate would be talking about and making use of this already.

But then Obama would have to admit that the president wasn't talking about him in the first place.

UPDATE: Welcome, Lizards!

Comments

[Helen]

Let's face it, Baldi, Obama is a moron. He's an ignorant know nothing who doesn't care to know anything cuz he's the messiah and messiah's aren't concerned with facts, historical or otherwise.

Worse than not caring that he doesn't know history and doesn't understand America or the Constitution if that he lies. He lies and tries to lie to us that he is a different kind of politician. He lies about what McCain said, about what President Bush said, about what he (Obama) himself said. He just plain and simply lies. We expect politicians to lie, but we don't expect them to expect us to believe the lie when we are confronted with the truth. That is simply moronic. But that's Obamessiah.

[wayne]

If Bush or any Republican breaths...it's against Obama. We should all hold our breath so as not to pollute the Anointed One's air.

The Obamanation is righteous and beyond reproach. We sully him by our failure of obeisance. If we speak, its hurtful to his majesty, his nobleness so reduced by our filthiness.

Soon he will be king in name. Then the peasants will know his nobility and his gentle but firm hand will still them to silence (or prison if they refuse to submit...alongside Limbaugh, Hannity, O'Reilly, and the other apostates).

Your new Lord will protect you ... his nobility allows not your guns or your futile world-oppressing opposition so shut up and sit down before his majesty.

[sdferr]

Baldy,
Kudos to you for digging this out and plopping it there on the page for all of us (and even Obama!) to read. You get it, girl.
SDF

[waltj]

I find it interesting that Pres. Bush used a quote from a senator with an "R" after his name. The GOP has long had an isolationist wing, of which Sen. Borah was a prominent member. Although it's clear to me from context that American politicians were not the principal target of the speech, I think it's likely that the president had a secondary objective in reminding his own party that the power of talk has its limits, and that a withdrawal from world affairs carries its own costs. Just a thought.

[baldilocks]

walt: I don't think GWB cared about the R behind Borah's name. He was merely trying to make a straight forward point about *any* appeasers.

OTOH, it's BHO who *would* care about such a thing and the point was that he isn't even smart enough to expertly use his own dirty but simple tactics and exploit this to its fullest.

UPDATE: I see you got the context. Sorry.

[waltj]

No worries:-). You certainly may be right, and that W's statement was simply what it appeared: a forthright condemnation of appeasement writ large. But I also wonder about BHO's thin skin, and his uncanny ability to derive offense from where none was intended. That trait will not serve him, or the country, well should he become president.