Losing His Cool

Health care reform may be slowed, the deficit may be exploding, Iran and North Korea may be ignoring him. But the greatest political danger President Obama faces may be stories like this one -- talking about how

Obama is "losing his cool."

Large parts of the Obama agenda -- from the outrageous "stimulus" spending to the takeover of GM to "cap and tax" -- have long been unpopular. What's helped the President more than anything (from the earliest part of the campaign going forward) has been his image as a really, really super cool guy that everyone -- including the press -- wants to have as a best buddy and world leader.

When the "cool" factor starts slipping away -- what with the Mom jeans and fluster over the destroyed teleprompter -- he's really in trouble. Without the cool image, he just becomes another Democrat president who's spending like there's no tomorrow at home, and spurning allies (like Israel) while kissing up to enemies (like Iran) abroad. A scold, who accuses Americans of "wanting] to order ? la carte, but want[ing] to pay for the blue plate special," when it comes to health care.

In other words, he starts coming off a lot like Jimmy Carter -- that is, if Carter had been willing to tell people who earned their money to "sacrifice" on behalf of his agenda while taking his own wife out for a $500,000 date night, courtesy of the US taxpayer.