On...Backbencher in Chief

I love the continuous small insights from the Chicago journalists who knew President Obama best from his Illinois days. Their contempt for the Chicago Way is powerful, but I don't think it necessarily blinds them to the truth. Obama was a shadow rising in the ranks on image and hope and not substance. He was a backbencher. He learned the game to his credit and hit the jackpot. Unfortunately for us he's the leader of the free-world and his abilities are more and more rhetorical. The quotes in the article below truly are telling. He reminds me of the Godfather when Michael tells Tom Hagen that he's out of the major decision making because he's not a wartime Consiglierie. Obama is not a wartime president. Well, I'd rather have Tom Hagen than Obama. Hagen got a raw deal though he wasn't as ruthless as Michael or Sonny. Obama is becoming an egghead Fredo. Nobody wants that. Nobody wants a backbencher for POTUS.



While Obama searches for clarity, we're plunged into another war

The second article is Maureen Dowd's new one on the women who are giving Obama a spine.

Fight of the Valkyries (Obama's ladies of war)

On..Taking a Bogey

There does seem to be this nonchalant caste about the POTUS in terms of the major issues of his day. He's not Carter, because thankfully he's not as whiny. But I agree with Goldberg that he is certainly not Ike. The quote that really hits home in this article is "The real problem for Obama is not that he likes his exercise. It’s that he’s acting like an employee who thinks he’s too good for the job." I think this is a real astute observation. I've been that guy before and it isn't becoming. It's sad that Obama fits all the stereotypes of the left-wing intellectual, especially when things aren't rosey and he's not praised for being such an awesome human being from every spectrum of the globe. It's his demeanor, his attitude. Take the press conference when he announced we would support a no-fly zone in Libya. It was like he just had to get through this and do something else. I watched a few minutes of his NCAA women's bracket picks on ESPN and he seemed to be having the same issue. It wasn't as apparent but it was there; the college professor trying to act like he is having a few beers with the proles down at the local pub. If this pub isn't in Ann Arbor or Madison or Berkeley he's a dork.

He will go for second term because he has to, not because I think he really wants to.

The President Takes a Bogey - Jonah Goldberg - National Review Online

On...2012

It is still a bit early to get the carnival started again but I would have to agree with this assessment.

2012: Yes, maybe, and unelectable - The Boston Globe

My present order of interest is currently:

1. Mitch Daniels
2. Tim Pawlenty
3. Jon Huntsman
4. Mitt Romney (If there is no one else)

And for the Dream and a Prayer who can be drafted late: General David Petraeus.

VP-Pick: Chris Christie (He's the bulldog you need. This should be a no-brainer. He would tear the hell out of Joe B.)