122 share
Notes from the Editor (Midknight Review): I believe Obama has been a lame duck president since March 23, 2010. His huge, Feb 17, 2009, one trillion dollar Stimulus bill, the $412 billion Omnibus bill of 2009, Dodd/Frank banking reform, and ObamaCare were all accomplished before the March date. Nothing of note has happened since, in spite of his constant, whiny threats to use his pen and his cell phone.
David
Gergen is a senior political analyst for CNN and an adviser to four
presidents. A graduate of Harvard Law School, he is a professor of public
service and director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard
University's Kennedy School of Government. Understand that he is a moderate
Democrat and one who respects the limitations set by the Constitution
(CNN - an article by David Gergen) -- Coming home from Asia, Barack Obama is
obviously going through another rough patch in his presidency. But this time,
it could be more dangerous: He is perilously close to becoming a lame duck 33
months before he leaves office. That is bad for him, bad for the country and
bad for the world.
The second term of a presidency often follows an arc. As
Lyndon Johnson told his aides after his landslide victory in 1964, you've got
about a year to get things done at home. And second-term presidents have often
seized on those early months for domestic accomplishments. After that,
Washington becomes mired in midterm politicking, and in your third year, people
start looking over your shoulder at who is coming next.
With power seeping away at home, second-termers increasingly
turn their attention overseas, where they can still get big things done as
commander in chief of the most powerful nation in history. That's why
presidents spend so much time on the road in their final years.
Obama's second term is a total aberration. Resisted by
obstructionists among Republicans and plagued by his own mistakes, the first 12
months after re-election were a bust. Why he and his team didn't take more care
in the rollout of the Affordable Care Act website will remain one of the great
mysteries for historians.
But it has now become equally puzzling why he has not become
more sure-footed in foreign affairs. He is one of the brightest men ever to
occupy the office, and yet his learning curve has been among the flattest.
Talking to players on the world stage -- most of whom still want him to succeed
-- one finds them genuinely rattled, worried about a lack of national will and
operational competence.
On the tail end of his Asia trip, Obama told the press that
in foreign policy, he thinks a president hits mostly singles and doubles and an
occasional home run. It was odd enough that given his huge power and influence,
he thinks small ball. But he also raised the question: Why so long between home
runs? When was the last one? Three years ago with Osama bin Laden?
Not to overdo his analogy, but the years since have brought
a notable string of strikeouts. The administration would vigorously disagree,
but just how much success can it genuinely claim in Syria, Egypt, Libya or even
Iraq? Or the Russian reset? Or Ukraine?
The administration's increasing focus on
Asia is a welcome move, but it too has gone less well than expected. Experts
have long said that much of the success of the famous "pivot" will
depend upon completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership, the most important
trade agreement in decades. To its credit, the administration has aggressively
pursued the deal but to little avail. The President's trip to Tokyo revealed
that the partnership is in serious trouble, mired down by domestic politics in
both the U.S. and Japan.
Obama did provide much-needed assurances to Japan about
American credibility as a military ally. Still, the facts remain that even as
the U.S. cuts defense spending, China is boosting its defense budget by 12% and
flexing its muscles off its shores. With nationalism on the rise across Asia
and sparks starting to fly, who can be certain that America will be there to
put out a fire?
The net result is of a president who sadly seems diminished
both at home and abroad. He appears to have only minimal objectives with the
current Congress -- passage of a higher minimum wage and pieces of an
immigration bill -- and may not get either.
Most Americans still want him to succeed, but when
television executives put him on the air, audiences often melt away. Even
before the midterms, voters are looking over his shoulder at who comes next.
"Waiting for Hillary" is a bigger story than "What Happened to
Obama?" And there are few prospects for home runs overseas.
This is bad news and not just for the President's personal
fortunes. America needs a strong, effective president year in, year out, to help
propel us forward. Our success as a people has depended on our capacity to
solve the problems of today so we can move on to tomorrow. The endless evasions
and diversions are tying us in knots and draining our spirits.
The world needs strong, effective American leadership as
well; for all our mistakes like Iraq, the U.S. is the one nation that still has
the power to keep world order. But in the twinkle of an eye, we have gone from
being indispensable to indisposed.
There is no obvious game plan for Obama to bounce back. It
would help if he and his team promised less and delivered more. It would help
if more Republicans put the country first. The White House must also avoid the
clear danger of so eagerly wanting a big breakthrough -- say, in negotiations with
Iran -- that it weakens our security. No deal is always better than a bad deal.
But mostly, the Obama team probably has to be patient. Fresh
opportunities for leadership will come; they always do at the White House. And
for all his troubles, the President retains enormous powers and public good
will. It is in not in our national interest to have a lame duck for 33 months.
Follow us on Twitter @CNNOpinion.
Join us on Facebook/CNNOpinion.
Want Obama to succeed?
ReplyDeleteNope. Never did, Never will. He belongs in jail.
ReplyDeletesmithson uses his freedoms that Obama protects to attack him, Smithson is a frustrated ankle biter to those who are forward thinking and educated. He is a pawn and an ass kisser for the top 1%.
ReplyDelete