When, exactly, did the bloom come off the rose?
For a good many, I'll bet it was 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 9, just after President Barack Obama delivered another "sounds good, less filling" speech before a joint session of Congress.
After nine months, Americans have begun to make up their minds about this president, and the growing conclusion is this: On the menu of competency, this leader of the free world is one taco short of a full combination plate. He's undisciplined, snooty and less gifted than initially thought, making him ill-prepared to grasp greatness, even when history offers it.
Time and again, in a pinch, this president has shown himself a pedestrian thinker unable to move himself, much less anyone else, beyond partisan politics. Because of that (and I'm sorry to say it) his presidency is likely to fall short at time when America could use a healthy dose of excellence.
His speech on health care "reform" last week before Congress illustrated the point perfectly.
That topic has devolved into a public brawl. Blame that on mean-ol' Republicans or wild-eyed governors from Alaska or "evil-mongers" from the rest home, if you like. But we can all agree that hardly any constructive conversations on health care have taken place in this country in the past 30 days. And that goes on the heads of leaders from both parties.
Now, enter the president. He steps up to deliver a "major" speech on the topic. People anxiously hope the president will recoup his legendary oratory skills to pull the debate out of the woods, onto a path of civil discourse and maybe, just maybe, to common ground. Citizens stand on tip-toe to hear their young leader cut through the rancor and lead the way.
And he makes things worse. (continues hereat Las Vegas Review)
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