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Opinion L.A.

Opinion: Barry, don’t get angry

By Michael McGough
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For those who don’t remember the 1960s, there was a song called ‘Johnny Get Angry.’ It went like this:

Oh, Johnny get angry, Johnny get mad
Give me the biggest lecture I ever had
I want a brave man, I want a caveman
Johnny, show me that you care, really care for me

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Substitute ‘Barry’ for ‘Johnny’ and subtract the sappy sexism and you might think this song was the inspiration for President Obama’s latest comments about the Gulf of Mexico oil spill:

‘I don’t sit around just talking to experts because this is a college seminar. We talk to these folks because they potentially had the best answers, so I know whose ass to kick.’

To say this rant was inauthentic is putting it mildly. ‘No drama’ Obama sounds silly when he chews the scenery. Give the oil men the biggest lecture they ever had, Mr. President, but don’t try to be a caveman.

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--Michael McGough

Opinion L.A.
Michael McGough

Michael McGough is the Los Angeles Times’ former senior editorial writer, based in Washington, D.C. He wrote editorials for The Times from 2006 to 2021. Before that, McGough worked for 30 years for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette as a reporter, editorial writer, editorial page editor and Washington correspondent. He wrote about law, national security, politics, foreign policy and religion. McGough is a graduate of Allegheny College and also attended the University of Kent at Canterbury in England and Yale Law School, where he received a master of studies in law degree.

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