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Obama, greater than kings
Henry of Huntingdon, the 12th-century chronicler, tells how Canute set his throne by the sea shore and commanded the tide to halt and not wet his feet and robes; but the tide failed to stop. According to Henry, Canute leapt backwards and said: “Let all men know how empty and worthless is the power of kings, for there is none worthy of the name, but He whom heaven, earth, and sea obey by eternal laws.” He then hung his gold crown on a crucifix, and never wore it again.“In the age of kings,” writes Mark Steyn, referring to the above-mentioned King Canute and to King Alfred the Great, who, dressed for a while as a peasant to elude capture by the Danes, helped a peasant woman make pancakes, “we were taught that kings were human, with human failings. Now, in the age of citizen-presidents,” he continues, referring to Obama’s declarations that he commands the ocean’s height and its currents, “we are taught that government has unlimited powers over ‘heaven, earth, and sea.’ ”
The article is charming, though towards the end it becomes diffuse. Email entry |