The eternal candidate, our president

It doesn’t matter that we elected him president. He doesn’t understand that he’s president of all of us, not just the Democrats. And it shows. As does his hypocrisy:

But we can no longer let partisan brinksmanship get in our way – the idea that making it through the next election is more important than making things right. That’s what’s holding us back – the fact that some in Congress would rather see their opponents lose than see America win.

So much for the post-partisan president. But then, we knew that was a lie the moment he uttered it. And even the AP is reporting on his tactics:

Obama, expecting the political shelling he would take, fired pre-emptively in his weekly radio and Internet address to the nation on Saturday. He told listeners that it was the Republicans running for president and serving in Congress who were at work crushing voters’ hopes and dreams.

Of course, the narrative has already been decided: It’s all those stubborn Republicans who are dooming the nation.

The question for Obama and his backers remains: Will he sustain the counterattack? Of late, he’s been seen by even his most staunch supporters as too ready to retreat from critical ground when confronted by intransigent Republicans.

The narrative on Obama’s possible opponents is also already chosen:

If nothing else, voters won’t be able to ignore the fact that Perry’s speaking style and swagger are eerily reminiscent of another Texas governor who made the transition to the national stage, President George W. Bush. Both men were Air Force pilots.

Gasp! He’s just like Bush! (Never mind that conservative blogs are filled with the Perry/Bush rivalry analysis, the mainstream media are going to flog this meme until it starts working.)

But there is something that even the mainstream media are starting to notice: The desperation at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. This is part of the story’s lead:

“We’ve still got a long way to go to get to where we need to be. We didn’t get into this mess overnight, and it’s going to take time to get out of it,” the president told the country over the weekend, all but pleading for people to stick with him.

How sad is it that the media are portraying a weekly radio address by the man who inhabits the most powerful position on the planet as an ineffective man, begging for a chance? Carter was the wimpy president. Looks like Obama is going to have an even worse reputation.