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| Valerie Jarrett to uniformed general: More wine, garçon! | |||
| 2011-02-02 | |||
| In Washington, bigwigs can misspeak and misstep a million times without drawing attention. And then there are the seemingly harmless moments that stick to a person like super glue: Joe Wilson barking "You lie!"; Jesse Jackson mumbling into a hot mic that he wants to castrate Barack Obama; Dan Quayle trying to spell things. Like coal crushed into diamonds by the pressure of a million eyeballs, such moments are forever. During an exclusive dinner hosted Monday by the Alfalfa Club, Obama adviser Valerie Jarret had just such a moment. And were it not for an irritated tipster, Jarret might have walked away from the dinner unblemished. According to our tipster, Jarrett was seated at the head table along with several other big-name politicians and a handful of high-ranking military officials. As an officer sporting several stars walked past Jarrett, she signaled for his attention and said, "I'd like another glass of wine." Garçon! White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee, who was seated next to Jarret, began "cracking up nervously," our tipster said, but no one pointed out to Jarrett that the man sporting a chestful of medals was not her waiter. "The guy dutifully went up and got her a glass of wine, and then came back and gave it to her and took a seat at the table," our tipster said.
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| Posted by:tipper |
| #27 Angie, Last I heard the Navy doesn't have Generals. OTOH I'm not an expert - don't even play one on TV - so don't know if any other service would have 'dress whites'. Or Blacks. (Is that racist?) Drunk, Stupid, or showing off her 'power' over the military. |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-02-02 23:05 |
| #26 She likely thought it would be funny with her crowd. I'd be happy if they compared credentials. What has Valerie Jarrett ever done for America in her life? Trash is best with trash. She's comfortable with her Chicago cronies |
| Posted by: Frank G 2011-02-02 21:53 |
| #25 Umm...Personally? I was never in a position to be afforded much respect either way; while wearing an enlisted US military uniform. Still, I fail to see the humor. |
| Posted by: pan 2011-02-02 21:40 |
| #24 On the plus side, at least she "talks to military" unlike that nameless Slick Willy staffer from back in the day. So, you see? They're getting better at this stuff! |
| Posted by: charger 2011-02-02 18:04 |
| #23 Angie, if you're serious, you're far more |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2011-02-02 17:56 |
| #22 Foolish me. I thought it would take to tomorrow to get to Mike Mullen, but we're there today. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-02-02 17:51 |
| #21 My thought was that this was a naval officer in his white uniform, and that all she saw was a white coat flitting by her, and thought he was a waiter. |
| Posted by: Angie Schultz 2011-02-02 17:41 |
| #20 Here's your wine Valerie, now go get your shine box. |
| Posted by: regular joe 2011-02-02 17:15 |
| #19 This is a major big deal annual affair, with over 600 Seriously Important People flying in from all over the country. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor took the gavel that evening as new president of the group. If Ms Jarrett had drunk too much before dinner to think straight, she's in the wrong job. If, on the other hand, she thought she was being cleverly funny, she's definitely moving in the wrong circle, which means the same thing in her job. Interestingly, a quick google finds mentions no military people at all, only a single photo of Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen without comment, which suggests no one wants to cause trouble by revealing precisely which military man she insulted. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2011-02-02 15:36 |
| #18 I think that either two things happened here: 1) Jarret was a little tipsy and thought it was funny 2) Jarret really think that Generals are "hired help" and should be treated as such. Either one is not a good. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2011-02-02 15:15 |
| #17 I believe the confusion is between discovering bacteria and establishing a relationship between it and disease. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-02-02 13:40 |
| #16 "I don't like water, fish f*c* and s*i* in it." ----------- W. C. Fields------------ There, that's less than 100 years old. ;-) |
| Posted by: AlmostAnonymous5839 2011-02-02 13:36 |
| #15 Robert Hooke published Micrographia forty years before Ben Franklin was born, gromky. I think you're thinking of viruses. |
| Posted by: Mitch H. 2011-02-02 13:00 |
| #14 Uh, yeah, I don't think Ben Franklin was alive when the theory of bacteria was widely accepted. |
| Posted by: gromky 2011-02-02 12:54 |
| #13 "In wine there is Truth, in beer Fellowship. In water there is bacteria." -- Ben Franklin |
| Posted by: mojo 2011-02-02 11:38 |
| #12 The General deserves at least another Achievement medal for not punching her in the face. I know I couldn't handle such a nitwhit. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2011-02-02 11:24 |
| #11 When inhibitions are removed people articulate their closely held beliefs. Or stupidity. |
| Posted by: Parabellum 2011-02-02 10:22 |
| #10 It was her sixth glass of wine. There's an ancient Greek saying that goes - There's truth in the wine. When inhibitions are removed people articulate their closely held beliefs. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-02-02 09:36 |
| #9 When the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs testified before Congress about DADT and said that if those serving didn't like its repeal they could get another job - I though something similar - Is this a man in a fancy doorman's uniform? A job? You can quit a job. Police and Fireman can quit a job with 2 weeks notice. Try that in the uniform military. A job? How many jobs ask you to lay your life down. How many die for GM, Coca-Cola, HP, or Walmart on command. A job? Most jobs can unionize. Though we have issues with unions, that right exits for everyone else on 'jobs'. If pols fear or lust for the power and influence of unions now, image what it would be if 400,000 armed employees unionized. Jarret is the stupid kid that taunts the dog leashed to the tree on the street. Child like behavior to impress her entourage. One of the major failures of modern language is that while we have words to label bigotry such as racism and sexism, there exist nothing in the common tongue for those equally bigoted against those who 'serve'. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2011-02-02 08:49 |
| #8 My thought too. |
| Posted by: lotp 2011-02-02 08:47 |
| #7 Another explanation: It was her sixth glass of wine. |
| Posted by: Penguin 2011-02-02 08:47 |
| #6 Either the woman is too stupid to tell the difference between a waiter and a decorated General _or_ she was simply throwing her weight around to impress her friends. More on the Alfalfa Club |
| Posted by: CrazyFool 2011-02-02 08:26 |
| #5 First I hear this it was a cop. Now it's a multi-star general. Tomorrow Mike Mullen. |
| Posted by: Nimble Spemble 2011-02-02 08:19 |
| #4 Maybe Jarrett was drunk? She acted like a clueless twit but then it was probably not an act. Fits in with the rest of the administration. The officer was a gentleman and acted appropriately. I'm surprised Jarrett didn't insist on being referred to as Senior Advisor and Assistant to the President for Public Engagement and Intergovernmental Affairs and then say she had worked hard for her position (ala Barbara Boxer). |
| Posted by: JohnQC 2011-02-02 08:19 |
| #3 NO RESPECT...YA know I don't get no respect at all!! |
| Posted by: armyguy 2011-02-02 08:16 |
| #2 In the immortal words of David Alan Coe: You don't have to call me darlin', darlin' You never even call me by my name... |
| Posted by: badanov 2011-02-02 05:34 |
| #1 Out-of-touch liberal, vol. 342412. Funny thing is if the General had given her any crap, he'd be fired immediately for mouthing off. |
| Posted by: gromky 2011-02-02 05:19 |