Obama Mimics Carter

During the Jimmy Carter years as President, he was seen occasionally on news footage carrying a briefcase, typically going to or coming out of helicopter Marine One. When staffers were asked what was in the briefcase, they said it was empty.

The unofficial story about the briefcase was that Carter wanted the American people to think he was busy, working hard on economic and global political problems, and carrying the briefcase would assure the public that he was constantly working.

Now anybody familiar with the office of the President of the United States knows that the President doesn't have to carry anything with him since an army of assistants beckon to his every breath. As a result, Carter's briefcase ploy garnered only ridicule. Had Jimmy Carter put something, anything, in the briefcase, he might have been able to squelch some of the jokes.

In any event, I just saw a video clip of President Obama exiting Marine One with an armful of papers and folders. Why? He doesn't have to carry anything. In fact, he doesn't even need to put anything in his pockets. Obama has an army of helpers who will do anything for him.

The only thing I can figure is that he wants the public to see him looking like he's actually doing something other than talking while the economy is turning into a crap sandwich. Obama appears to be doing the same thing Jimmy Carter did.

In all candor, I wouldn't be surprised if he had been carrying the maintenance instructions for Marine One, just a stack of papers and folders he found in a sleeve at the back of the helicopter.