Maureen Dowd Skewers Obama

I generally love Maureen Dowd - her wit and writing style is great and she is never one to bite her tongue. Her column in yesterday's New York Times is a good example and her target is the Liar-in-Chief upon whom she lavishes disdain and a genuinely merited trashing. Obama proved he could campaign in 2008. By this point in 2010 he has proven that he cannot lead or govern worth a damn. Instead of leading his party, he seems determined to be a follower - and a distant follower at that. I - and it seems more and more people I know - want to see him challenged for the presidential ticket in 2012. Based on his performance to date, just about any other top Democrat who has the semblance of a spine would be a huge improvement. But readers have heard my commentary before - so here are highlight's from Maureen's column:
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Barack Obama became president by brilliantly telling his own story. To stay president, he will need to show he can understand our story. At first it was exciting that Obama was the sort of brainy, cultivated Democrat who would be at home in a “West Wing” episode. But now he acts like he really thinks he’s on “West Wing,” gliding through an imaginary, amber-lit set where his righteous self-regard is bound to be rewarded by the end of the hour.
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After two years of taking his base for granted, the former Pied Piper of America’s youth had to spar with Jon Stewart to try to get the attention of young people who once idolized him. Obama still has the killer smile, but he’s more often sniffy than funny. When Stewart called White House legislation “timid,” Obama got defensive and offered a less-than-thrilling new mantra: “Yes, we can but ...” “We have done things that people don’t even know about,” said Obama, who left his Great Communicator mantle back in Grant Park on election night.
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In 2008, the message was him. The promise was him. And that’s why 2010 is a referendum on him. With his coalition and governing majority shattering around him, President Obama will have to summon political skills — starting Wednesday — that he has not yet shown he has.
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Many of us thought the “right” thing to do was to ratify the civil rights of gay Americans in marriage and the military. (A new Pentagon study shows that most U.S. troops and their families don’t care if gays are allowed to serve openly.) In an interview with progressive bloggers, the president was asked why he was lagging behind Republicans like Ted Olson on gay marriage.
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As the president tries to ride the Tea Party tiger, let’s hope for this change: that he puts some audacity in his audacity.