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Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Buck Stops Before It Gets Here

It isn't just "leading from behind" for our president. It's leading from anywhere but where a leader should be--front and center. The buck stops way far away from our president, as far as he is concerned. Two and a half years into his presidency, President Obama continues to blame President Bush:

Speaking at a Democratic fundraiser, where families paid $15,000 to get a picture with him, Obama defended his economic record and noted that problems in Europe were affecting the United States.

"We do have a serious problem in terms of debt and deficit, and much of it I inherited," Obama said. The financial crisis, he said, made the problem worse.

Once again, if I may offer some unsolicited advice. Grow a pair and man the eff up. You diminish yourself and our country with this constant whining. Every president inherits problems. President Obama also inherited what his vice president once said could be the president's biggest success--victory in Iraq.

President Obama knew about our debt and deficits when he ran for president and he thought he was up to the job despite those known problems. Is he now saying that the first he heard of the debt and deficits was just after he was sworn in? Or is he just admitting he is in over his head?

Oh, and President Obama is setting himself up for a lot of blame with his implicit assumptions about how he should have started his job in January 2009. From my post that I linked to I wrote:

The fact is, we don't wrap up our presidencies in neat packages like a movie that ties up loose ends after 120 minutes. Or is President Obama implicitly promising that he'll leave a clean slate for his successor in 3 or 7 years?

With his constant complaining about what he inherited, is President Obama really willing to say that he will leave a clean slate for his successor? Is he saying that he won't leave any messes to clean up when he leaves the stage?

I didn't think so.

When President Obama was elected, I wrote that I hoped that our country would be in such great shape that people would want to reelect him in 2012. I'd rather have 8 years of Obama and prosperity and security than recession and retreat abroad to get 4 years of an Obama presidency. Clearly, I won't get my first choice here.

UPDATE: Ah, we're just screwed. He has forgotten nothing and learned nothing in office. All we can do is endure--for either 1-1/2 or 5-1/2 years.