Obama's Crisis Calling Card: Appoint a 'Czar'

This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," June 16, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.

SEAN HANNITY, HOST: According to the anointed one, he's been on top of the oil spill recovery since day one. But he made an unexpected move during his Oval Office address last night. Fifty-seven days into this crisis he figured out just what we need down in the Gulf, another federal "czar". So he appointed one.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: Earlier I asked Ray Mabus, the secretary of the Navy, who's also a former governor of Mississippi and a son of the Gulf Coast, to develop a long-term Gulf Coast restoration plan as soon as possible.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

HANNITY: And joining me with reaction to the president's new plan for the Gulf Coast region is the author of The New York Times bestseller, "Culture of Corruption," Michelle Malkin is back with us.

All right, Michelle, big fan of your columns, your writing, your books. "Stuck on Stupid: Obama's Czar Fetish," by Michelle Malkin. Explain.

MICHELLE MALKIN, "THE CULTURE OF CORRUPTION" AUTHOR: Yes. You know, I know there are people all across this country who, when they heard this idea of yet another "czar" went, another one? Are you kidding me? Is he crazy?

Well, he definitely has some sort of condition. I do think it is a fetish. And this is his default disaster management plan. When in crisis, when in disaster, throw another unelected appointed bureaucrat out there to garner another headline and make it looks like he's doing something.

HANNITY: Yes.

MALKIN: Sean, a reader of mine sent me a famous quote of the late coach John Wooden and that said never mistake activity for achievement. And I think this White House ought to take that advice because they are mistaking activity and sending out another "czar" and piling on another commission for some sort of achievement and for some sort of gain here. They're not.

HANNITY: Yes. Yes, look, I said this, and I got a lot of criticism for it, because the president is almost acting immature. A petulant child lashing out, cursing, blaming.

You know — but what I got out of last night besides I think probably the worst Oval Office address in history or at least in close competition to Carter's malaise speech, it seems to me the Obama so-called magic is gone, the rhetoric is old and stale. The rhetorical tricks are somewhat old and boring and tiresome. You know, people aren't fainting any more, Michelle.

MALKIN: Yes. I think you're being rather generous. And I do agree that I think petulance may be a part of it. But I think even underlying that, there is fear and there is panic in this White House. And I think that the "czar" fetish is a sign and manifestation of that.

They do not know what executive leadership is so they have to outsource it. You know they got to grab some — you know, some other political operative that they drag out from the morgue or in the case of the oil spill "czar" that has now been tasked to restore the entire Gulf, somebody who's already got a full job on his hands.

Shouldn't the secretary of the Navy concentrate on the Navy, for goodness sakes?

HANNITY: Yes — no, I think that's a good point. Look, I don't think being an executive or a manager, although some people are good at it and some people obviously are not — I think his lack of experience now is showing through.

For example, if I were president, and which would never happen — but if I was, I would think that at least by day seven — and we had somebody in the focus group last night saying, you know, if he gave the speech on day two, three, four, five, you know what? It probably would have been appropriate.

But when we find out he rejected the help — the offer of help from 13 countries. All the president it seems to me needed to do, Michelle, is get the smartest people in the oil industry, the smartest people with the most advanced technology together by day 10, realizing how bad this was, and organize relief effort and use every resource available and really go down there and put our attention on it.

He didn't do that. Why? I can't figure out why.

MALKIN: Well, I think there are a number of reasons, and one is, they did not understand the gravity and severity of that. And if you go back and look at those early briefings of Robert Gibbs in the aftermath, you know, that they were dismissing it and pooh-poohing it.

At the same time, we did see a strong demonstration of executive leadership from someone who understood the gravity of the problem.

HANNITY: Jindal.

MALKIN: And that's right. The governor of Louisiana who has refrained from doing what this administration has done which is completely politicize the matter because he's putting the safety and the health and the welfare and the environment of his state first, not politics, not policy, not ideological advantage, which was completely transparent from the Oval Office address last night.

HANNITY: Yes. As this oil, though, makes it onshore and people see the real impact of this, and more interviews with fishermen and hotel owners, and restaurant owners, and they see their beaches polluted, I got to imagine that this is going to become a bigger problem day by day as people now begin to discover that this government sat on its hands for the better part of 57 days in spite of claims to the contrary.

MALKIN: Yes. That's right. And I think one of the things that I thought was distinctive about the speech last night is, this is a man who had sold himself as somebody who understood and was in touch with the people.

And yet, he addressed the shrimpers and the residents of Louisiana and everyone else in the Gulf who's been affected by this with a really curious and cold detachment — a detachment that has the left up in arms.

I mean, I think it was Maureen Dowd of The New York Times who described the speech as bloodless. And the fact is, it's not just the speech. It's not just the presentation. It's the lack of substance. And as you say, lack of experience that is showing very glaringly here, Sean.

HANNITY: All right. Last quick question, only have a few seconds. What is the political fallout in your view?

MALKIN: I think we'll see it in 2010.

HANNITY: All right. Michelle, thanks for being with us.

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