Whether you supported President Obama or not in 2008, his clear lack of focus in recent weeks has to give one pause. Today, while the situations in Japan and Libya spin seemingly out of control, we learn that the President is filming his NCAA March Madness picks that will be made available tomorrow live on ESPN. He played his 61st round of golf as President on Saturday.
Everyone understands that the President has to do silly things from time to time, and he has every right to relax on occasion, but filming NCAA tournament guesses today? Are there no grown-ups left in the White House to advise the President?
Or is the Obama White House abdicating America’s traditional leadership role in the international arena for ideological reasons? Is it ducking decision-making and responsibility so that others like Britain’s David Cameron or France’s Nicolas Sarkozy step up to the plate? It’s the only thing that might make sense.
But if President Obama is looking to steer America into a back-seat role, shouldn’t he discuss that with the American people first? Otherwise we, and others in the world, will have no choice but to think his presidency is adrift.
Does the conservative side of the media in this country share a web site of talking points to use in attacking the president? It has always amazed me how consistent the message is from the right. I guess the progressives are trying to emulate this now with Chuck Schumer’s new role as messaging coordinator.
Anyway, from the right’s perspective, for the first two years Obama was overreaching and now that his policies are more measured and centrist, he’s abdicating? Contrary to the golf digs and NCAA picks nonsense, I’m going to propose that we’re not seeing him quite so much because he’s actually working. A novel idea when set in contrast to GWB, the president who took more vacation days than any other in history.
And if Obama is attempting to force the hand of Arab and European nations in order to get them involved in footing the bill for all the work that needs to be done to support the flowering of democracy over there (as all the press releases from the State Department have made clear), then why don’t conservatives support that? Aren’t they in favor of spending cuts and saving money in this time of fiscal crisis? Oh yeah, because they’re fine with gutting the social safety net, but the military gets to spend whatever it wants. Suddenly, the messaging doesn’t seem quite so clear.
Yes. The talking points are at http://www...
Oh, never mind.