I'm really glad I'm not President Obama.

[Robb]

I was thinking about this last night.

Right after the Times Square fizzle, I had it all figured out. Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan delivers a video claiming responsibility that had to have been recorded before the bombing attempt; and the bomb had a pressure cooker component. Pakistan's Taliban were helping the guy, somehow. And I was very, very frustrated with the amount of time it seemed to be taking Obama et al to get around to pointing at those guys.

But I based my assumption on a couple of pieces of information, and figured I was probably right. Obama doesn't get to do that.

He's got to be 100% sure, every time. Or damn close. Because he's the freaking President of the United States.

When I express an opinion these days, it means a few words on a website or six. When he does it, aircraft carriers move. Markets change. Governments shift. People die.

Big fucking deal, you know?

Anyhow. My point is we all have it easy. The repercussions for our analyses are basically nothing. I guess what I'm saying is I don't begrudge Obama the time he took to get around to pointing a finger at the Pak mountains.

I'm still damn pissed off at some things taking longer than I can possibly imagine they need to -- DADT being an example that leaves me speechless for a reason we're still plodding along in the 16th Century. And we should've gotten more troops out of Iraq faster, IMO.

But on some of this stuff, yeah, I get it. It's not as easy as when I do it in my head.

[monmouth]

1. Excellent post. Armchair quarterbacking is so easy. I wouldn't

want his job or the responsibilities he has for love or money. God bless 'em..

[rudy23]

2. Well, he should have picked a different career field then. It's our job to criticize the President.

Sorry, I'm not on board with holding him to the standards that most of us are held to. If he didn't want to be criticized, he shouldn't have run for President.

I have to wonder why he ever did in the first place.

[jaxx]

3. Because he knew he'd be the best damn person to do the job.

So far he's not eating humble pie on that one.

[rudy23]

6. He's doing a horrible job on the BP gusher, and he needs to hear it.

We would be ballistic if this was W doing this to us.

[stray cat]

7. He needs real solutions to a serious problem - do you have any?

besides call in the coast guard and cry bloody murder that the government should take over (even though they have no expertise or equipment to solve the problem)

[rudy23]

9. Ha! That talking point was used during Katrina. Can't believe I'm hearing it on a Dem board.

Then again, I totally can.

[stray cat]

5. How is criticism a job - if it were you would have to complement the tea partiers

and the republicans in office. You are responsible for what you accomplish and don't accomplish - something not contributed to by the volume of your criticism.

[rudy23]

8. I thought he was supposed to answer to us. Just because their criticism is bad, doesn't mean

that all criticism is off the table because we don't want to be "like the teabaggers." Bad reasoning.

[Cha]

13. The OP didn't say President Obama couldn't do it..

he said he was glad it wasn't his job.

[treestar]

19. It's not our job to pick and find fault where it is not really justified, either

You seem to flat out say we're supposed to look for something to criticize.

And like the OP says you can still be aware that you don't actually have to make the decision or be responsible for it and have the luxury to just sit there and criticize.

[NJmaverick]

4. If you have a conscience and an honest desire to do a good job

President of the United States is perhaps the toughest job in the world.

[Bitwit1234]

10. What I say about Obama is he is trying but not hard enough

He wanted this job. I think he had to know what it entailed before he ran. I do think he is acting like he cant make up his mind. And I think we need a decisive president. I think he needs to take charge AND DO WHAT THE PEOPLE WHO ELECTED HIM, WANT HIM TO DO.

Not to coddle the republicans, wall street, the big banks. To Hell with them. We should all send him a post card saying

DAMN THE TORPEDOES FULL SPEED AHEAD. The republicans are throwing all kinds of crap at him, blocking legislation, holding up his appointments and he is dillying dallying around. This jobs take guts and I think Obama has to find some more.

I hope he gets stronger and says to the republicans join America or get the hell out of the way. But I don't think he will. His spine needs more steel.
And he needs better advisers.

[Bette Noir]

11. He worked very hard to get the worst job in the world.

We have to keep nudging him, but I think we should do it politely. He gets enough toxins from the other side; he doesn't need his own supporters calling him a Nazi.

[readmoreoften]

12. Poor Obama and all these expectations we put on him!

It was hard being president when Bush was in office, and I didn't cut him any slack either.

[bigwillq]

14. Good post.

:thumbsup:

[uponit7771]

15. Bush had the easiest president of this generation, just don't do shit..it was easy being hard on him

Obama has to fix Bush's mess AND be perfect every time..................while being black.

[allincompassing]

16. Crisis Management 101

This President will go down in history as the hardest working executive in our lifetimes. BHO has more diversions, than either Bush, Clinton, Bush I or Reagan. Not to mention the media is hell-bent on highlighting every minute detail of every word that parts his lips.

We should all be more patient, because America was not built in a day, and it sure as heck will not be fixed in a couple of years time. The level of corruption that walks the halls of congress is immeasurable, the money that flows into the coffers of the political parties boggles the mind. This is a classic period in history that will ultimately be remembered as the fight for civilized democratic discourse. If we lose this fight, corporations will rule the day, for generations to come.

The difference between BHO and Bush, is obvious, even to the densest of minds. The man may actually make choices that you dislike, but at least the opportunity for the public to be heard has returned. At no time during the Bush administration did they even bother to consider the publics viewpoint.

We must remain vigilant, we must continue to participate in earnest, we must not fail. BHO told you during his inaugural address, that powerful forces actually ran this country, not the government. He also said that the only way things could change, would be through the voice of the people. In the words of Gill Scott "The revolution will not be televised" It will however be heard around the world!

[Tarheel_Dem]

22. Great post. Not to mention the death threats from the rightwing nuts, and the constant backbiting

by the leftwing nuts (Jane Hamsher), he's in a really tough position. But as he's said many times, 'blame me, I can take it'. It doesn't seem to bother him as much as it does me, but I knew during that torturous campaign season, that he was just a different kind of person than most. I don't know where his inner calm comes from, but I wish he could bottle it.
:thumbsup:

[treestar]

20. I don't think that was the point

And you sound like you'd be a horrible boss, teacher, whatever. Oh, geez, how awful to cut anyone else any slack! You'd better not cut yourself any either, then!

[Robb]

21. Not at all my point, but go ahead with what you were saying.

Nothing in my OP about slack, just an appreciation for deliberation not always being foot-dragging.

Sometimes it is, of course. But often it's genuine prudence, and I can appreciate that.

[Enrique]

17. his lies about drilling were really sloppy

he was closer to 0% than to 100% on that, and he didn't put a lot of effort into constructing an excuse. He just recycled old lies that had been debunked already when the GOP was telling them.

[cherokeeprogressive]

18. KnR because I'm glad too.

Sssso glad.

[Name removed]

23. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[PufPuf23]

24. Today I would wager POTUS Obama does not run for a 2nd term nt

[MindandSoul]

25. So glad some of us keep a cool head and a clear mind! Thanks!