Many, on both the right and the left, would argue that President Obama has made mistakes. Conservatives would willingly name any one of his policy initiatives, while some liberals think he kowtows to the Republicans too often. But what does the man himself think his biggest mistake has been?
CBS News' Charlie Rose has an interview with the president and First Lady airing tomorrow, but an exercpt released today reveals his stunning arrogance: his biggest mistake, he says, has been a lack of storytime. Oh yes.
"When I think about what we've done well and what we haven't done well," the president said, "the mistake of my first term - couple of years - was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times."
Mr. Obama acknowledged the dissonance between others' perception of his strength as an expert orator, and his own.
"It's funny - when I ran, everybody said, well he can give a good speech but can he actually manage the job?" he said. "And in my first two years, I think the notion was, 'Well, he's been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where's the story that tells us where he's going?' And I think that was a legitimate criticism."
Pressed by Rose about what he felt he needed to explain better to the American people, the president corrected that he wanted to do more "explaining, but also inspiring."
"Because hope is still there," Mrs. Obama added.
Gosh you guys, wouldn't we all be better off if Obama told us more about the "story" of the presidency? Isn't that why the unemployment rate is stuck at 8.2%, or why so many have lost their homes and their jobs, because the president hasn't talked about himself enough? Astoundingly, appallingly arrogant.
I suppose this also means he doesn't consider the Fast and Furious scandal -- nor the deaths of hundreds of Mexicans and two Americans -- a mistake. He doesn't consider the growth of the deficit, and his lack of a real plan to address it, a mistake. He certainly doesn't consider the irreparable damage he's done to American political discourse -- attempting to shame the Supreme Court into ruling his way, or falsely attributing Gabby Giffords' tragic shooting to Republican rhetoric -- a mistake. Heck, for him, those are all just part of the job, when you're a serial campaigner and an incapable leader.
As if Americans needed another reason to throw him out of office this November, he's just given it to us. Unless, of course, you want to have perpetual "inspiration" and no job.
The Romney campaign issued a statement shortly after this self-satisfied clip was released:
President Obama believes that millions of Americans have lost their homes, their jobs and their livelihood because he failed to tell a good story. Being president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and President Obama has failed to lead. No wonder Americans are losing faith in his presidency.
Hey, Mitt Romney might not be the most exciting personality around, but aren't we sick of having President Personal Life regale us with his autobiography every time he's in front of a mic? I'd take a robot with a plan over an orator with an ego any day.
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