President Obama, disgracing us all.
It is fools like Rep. Peter King who make it so easy for partisans in the media to diminish anything any Republican says, and to dismiss all criticism of President Obama, even when it is legitimate.
But it’s even worse than that.
Long Island Republican Representative Peter King thought Obama’s tan suit was inappropriate for him to appear in while commenting on anti-terrorist policies. Not a bunny costume, not a hula skirt, not a barrel and two straps, mind you. A tan suit and a tie. (The President looked great; if only he sounded one-tenth as impressive as he looked.) King—I can’t believe I’m writing this— actually said..
“There’s no way, I don’t think, any of us can excuse what the president did yesterday. I mean, you have the world watching. For him to walk out — I’m not trying to be trivial here — in a light suit, a light tan suit, saying that first he wants to talk about what most Americans care about, and he said that’s the revision of second quarter numbers on the economy. This is a week after Jim Foley was beheaded, and he’s trying to act like, you know, real Americans care about the economy, not about ISIS and not about terrorism. And then he goes on to say that he has no strategy.”
I’m not going to insult anyone reading here by explaining why the tan suit indictment is so bizarre, foolish and wrong. King’s comments, however, transcended his idiotic sartorial indictment. By combining this silly, silly, silly complaint—personally, I find Peter King’s brain inappropriate—with substantive criticism, he allowed the Masters of Spin at the White House and elsewhere to trivialize any criticism of the President’s statement yesterday, and it deserved to be criticized.
How can any objective and rational citizen respect a political party that includes in its leadership someone so jaw-droppingly stupid as to not merely think this, which is bad enough, but not to realize the damage he does to the public trust in Congress, the government, and his party by saying it in public?
We are being governed by hysterics, children and boobs.
God Save The United States of America.
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Facts and Graphic: New York Magazine
Ethics Alarms 
Peter King has embarrassed his constituents and the GOP for long enough. Sometimes, I think he’s vying for the title of the House’s answer to Senator McCain. The charge is, of course, absurd. Ronald Reagan wore tan suits as well, for God’s sake! Of all the legitimate criticisms King could have leveled at Obama for what he’s said on done (or not done), he chooses this? Incredible!
Maybe King feels that this is a very slippery slope. A tan suit today…a zoot suit tomorrow? Seriously, what is the reason any man would make a public comment like that?
He’s nuts?
How bizarre…there were some funny Tweets flying ’round yesterday (‘Taupe and Change’), but I can’t get my head around someone going ballistic about the President’s suit color. There is so much more that needs to be said, we don’t need commentary on the Presidency brought down to the level of the Emmy Night’s red carpet gown commentary.
King is imposing the classic western cultural hierarchy of color in suits as it relates to relative power in an organization. The lighter and browner the suit the more junior you are. Dark blue a bit more power but the very powerful use very dark grey suits to emote relative power.
This all may be relevant in the boardroom but I doubt that someone that sleeps in a cave or a tunnel, lops of people’s heads, or spends countless hours in abject poverty while plotting their next offensive move is evaluating the president’s remarks based on western style suit hierarchy.
I said the other day that the conservative’s Achilles heel is that some of us focus on the least important issue and that makes us look petty and churlish.
My question to Peter King is that if he is an expert on the inner workings of the terrorist as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee why does he think that the suit style matters to the terrorist? Leaders of western nations may understand the issue of the light suit but they already know that what the president says is not always what he will or can commit to. They already think of him as a junior executive.
I think this analysis gives King more credit than he deserves.
King and all the other pundits that jumped all over this non-issue need to focus on what is in the box rather than the wrapping.
I have been baffled as to why a tan suit should be criticized. This clears that up even though it’s crazy. I suppose things like suit color mattered once, but in a world where naked dating is filmed for TV a tan suit is equivalent to formal wear.
You could say that for faded denim overalls! Of course, those are worn by people who actually work for an honest living, something Barry has never done.
“My question to Peter King is that if he is an expert on the inner workings of the terrorist as the ranking member of the Homeland Security Committee why does he think that the suit style matters to the terrorist?”
He could have appeared at the podium in a light colored suit, with the head of Nidal Hassan, with pig blood dabbled on it…
That may have communicated to terrorist leaders.
I was one of those defenders of Jimmy Carter when he went on the air wearing a cardigan sweater. The knee-jerk put-down, “Jimmy Cardigan” was unfair, I argued. What he wore surely was an effort, a deliberate and calculated move to communicate: “I am one of you regular folks; you can talk directly to me, and I will respect AND understand you AND be responsive to you; you can trust me; I will never lie to you,” etc. I was annoyed that the critics of Carter seemed more concerned with his dress than with whatever he spoke about (which I honestly do not recall). So in this instance I have the same thoughts as Jack and disappointment – no, make that revulsion – about Rep. King’s diversion and/or digression into pettiness. I also agree with Jack that Obama looks great in that tan suit.
I had a British client once who was adamant that gentlemen should never wear brown shoes with a suit. I wonder if a “tan” or “brown” suit is from this same archaic etiquette book.
Tom Donohue, my boss when I was at the Chamber—he’s the president of COCUSA now—told me “There are two kinds of suits: Dark Blue, and Lousy.”