President Obama Compared to Alexander the Great - Obama and Biden crack up

[Hope And Change]

Run time: 00:47 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYeZDYyJgRw   Posted on YouTube: March 25, 2009 By YouTube Member: Views on YouTube: 0   Posted on DU: March 25, 2009 By DU Member: Hope And Change Views on DU: 2628

 
25 March, 2009

Greek Orthodox Archbishop Demetrios likens the president to Alexander the Great in remarks at the White House Wednesday evening.

Obama: "I will tell Michelle I have been compared to Alexander the Great. I will see if that gets me a little more respect..."

Comes during event celebrating Greek Independence

[stillcool]

1. They play off each other nicely.

[terisan]

2. Uh oh-does he know something about war plans. nt

[dipsydoodle]

3. Odd comparison

with an empire builder who died in his thirties. :shrug:

[tbyg52]

4. Perhaps he meant that Obama would bring people together

I admit that everything I know about Alexander the Great comes from Mary Renault (but that *is*, I understand, an historically accurate source regarding checkable facts), but from what I know he seemed like quite an enlightened individual, for his time.

Edited to add: Ah, having finally downloaded it on my dialup, I see that it's because he's going to cut some Gordian knot or other.

[dalaigh lllama]

6. No, he mentioned Alexander with reference to the Gordian Knot

which is very much akin to the problems Obama has to solve right now.

[gordianot]

7. Very hard to untie.

[dalaigh lllama]

8. Hey! Nice user name!

and how apropos for this thread, eh?

[tomm2thumbs]

5. I love that the Republican who watch this, just HATE it - I LOVE that

a lot

[Tigress DEM]

9. So gently said, "Obama will cut thru the BS, like Alexander cut the knot."

History Lesson:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gordian_knot
<snip>

In 333 BC, while wintering at Gordium, Alexander attempted to untie the knot. When he could find no end to the knot, to unbind it, he sliced it in half with a stroke of his sword, producing the required ends (the so-called "Alexandrian solution"). Once Alexander had sliced the knot with a sword-stroke, his biographers claimed in retrospect that an oracle further prophesied that the one to untie the knot would become the king of Asia.<3>

Plutarch disputes the claim that Alexander sliced the knot with his sword, and relates that according to Aristobulus,<4> Alexander pulled the knot out of its pole pin rather than cutting it. Either way, Alexander did go on to conquer Asia as far as the Indus and the Oxus, fulfilling the prophecy.

[Tigress DEM]

10. Very, very high compliment, regards Obama as an "original" thinker.

There is legend, but the fact is Alexander did conquer many lands and his ability to think in an original manner gave him an edge on those who opposed him.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

11. awwww, that really made me smile

:7

pretty impressive praise---hahah makes me glad I'm one of us folk who sees something remarkable in him....

and I just loved how cute he is too...heeeee, great reaction to the Archbishop's words.

[oyvind]

12. And, much like Alexander, Obama will also face a lot of crazed elephants

.. but eventually defeat them, hands down :)