President Obama is looking worse and worse. The combination of a terrible economy and a terrible foreign policy outlook ought to sink him, provided the Republicans can find a competent candidate. Obama never would have been elected in the first place if only John McCain had still been alive.
Regarding the economy, I just posted another ten reasons why the recession will last forever over at my “Inner Workings” blog at Asia Times Online.
Obama’s performance at the UN was really miserable. He is almost too narcissistic to function. A President has a cabinet in part to shield the office of the Presidency from major failures. The President’s ultimate response to a catastrophe in some area of policy should be, “I fired that guy.” Obama, however, has no cabinet—only policy czars and special ambassadors who report directly to him. Hillary Clinton’s job appears to involve women’s rights in Africa, or something; James Jones (quick—remember what he does?) doesn’t appear to have any job at all. Obama is everywhere, doing everything, asking for credit and getting the blame.
Afghanistan is looking worse, for the obvious reason that Ambassador Richard Holbrooke’s self-promoting attempt to pacify Pakistan has pushed all the pressure out the proverbial back door—into Pakistani support for the Taliban. Defense Secretary Robert Gates should have been there to take the bullets for the president, but Obama cannot resist the spotlight.
In the end, Obama’s own strongest qualities—his remarkable persuasiveness and media appeal—may be his undoing. Never has a president left himself so exposed with so little room to fall back.
