I am not trying to be snarky; this is pretty serious. There is a reason that experience matters.
Allies of Mr Obama say his weary appearance in the Oval Office with Mr Brown illustrates the strain he is now under, and the president’s surprise at the sheer volume of business that crosses his desk.
What exactly did he expect? Did he think that being president was like running for president? He did say that managing a campaign gave him more experience than Sarah Palin’s running of a small town (ignoring the fact that he was not actually the manager of the campaign and that she was, in fact, a governor).
What exactly did we expect?
This is a big deal.
The American source said: “Obama is overwhelmed. There is a zero sum tension between his ability to attend to the economic issues and his ability to be a proactive sculptor of the national security agenda.
Well, at least we are not in the middle of a war or anything.
“The one real serious flaw I see in Barack Obama is that he thinks he can manage all this,” the well-known figure told a Washington official, who spoke to this newspaper. “He’s underestimating the flood of things that will hit his desk.”
I guess being the wife of a former president does make you more qualified to be president after all – at least you know what the job entails.
I just hope that Pres. Obama finishes up with his on the job training before anything serious happens.
March 9th, 2009 at 1:58 pm
Perhaps the economic crisis is just that big. Seriously, Charity. You’re really demonstrating a pre-recession mentality about the President’s job.
March 9th, 2009 at 2:29 pm
My dad and I don’t share a ton of views on political issues, but one of the few things we agreed on back in November after Obama was elected was that he had to be a little crazy to want to take on the mess we’re in. I highly doubt anybody could have taken on the job and felt like it was completely manageable and not overwhelming.
On the other hand, he’s only been in office for 48 days so far, which is not a lot of time to get anything done, much less all of the stuff he’s faced with. Here’s hoping he’s able to get things more under control soon!
March 9th, 2009 at 5:47 pm
Well, Bushy Boy almost certainly had it easier than Obama, since word has it that nothing came across his desk without first going through VP Cheney’s office (where they blocked or altered a lot of stuff). We know how “well” that scheme worked out too…
March 9th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Kind of a weak slam, Charity. The proof’s in the pudding, not a new President’s “golly gee whiz!” soundbite du jour. The guy’s made more changes and accomplished more in terms of real policy in his first several weeks than any President I can think of.
I think he’s handling the workload. You just may not like how he’s doing it. In any case, this li’l hit is pretty lame. Surely you can find something a little more substantive to take issue with him on?
March 9th, 2009 at 9:52 pm
“Surely you can find something a little more substantive to take issue with him on?”
I thought someone from the president’s inner circle admitting that he cannot handle the economic crisis and national security at the same time was pretty important.
But, I guess if one doesn’t think there are actual national security threats, one wouldn’t think it was a big deal.
Let’s just hope Biden was wrong and the president is not tested.
And you know, the Brits seem to think this is worth making a big deal about.
Sorry if my blogging isn’t as hard hitting as your post today on GMD with that facebook photo. We can’t all be great, John.
March 10th, 2009 at 6:47 am
I admit that President Obama has a lot more to deal with than most presidents do at this point. That is why his inexperience is so handicapping.
What has he done in his life that prepared him for this challenge? Do you think the CEO of a Fortune 500 company would be “overwhelmed” at the volume of work that same across his desk as president? What about a former governor?
There is no job like being president and nothing that could fully prepare someone for it, but Pres. Obama has never done anything that prepared him in the least.
March 10th, 2009 at 3:17 pm
Which member of the president’s “inner circle” are admitting this?
I’ve read the entire article that you’ve used as a source for this post and I’ve not yet found one named sourced. Here’s a list of attributable quotes in the article:
These quotes in a tabloid magazine of a newspaper from England are hardly a reason to conclude that “This Is Why You Don’t Elect a Young Inexperienced President”.
This post does, however, explain why I shouldn’t spend as much time reading the opinions of young inexperienced conservative bloggers.
March 10th, 2009 at 3:43 pm
I agree. Time is better spent reading the opinions of people with the knowledge and experience to really offer a valuable perspective.
On the conservative side, I would recommend Pat Buchanan, who even the very liberal Eleanor Clift admitted has a knowledge of history rarely matched, and economist Thomas Sowell. Both of those guys have forgotten more facts than I have had the opportunity to learn.
At my age, I certainly don’t know very much. Besides, I went to public school.
March 11th, 2009 at 12:12 pm
Heh-heh. What fun! Of course, this isn’t anywhere near a ‘normal transition’ when you have TWO wars going on and an economy that’s been deliberately savaged by the previous administration. Sorry Charity–I’m still waiting for Obama to turn into FDR, but you’ve got to admit, this is worse than 1933. FDR had opposition, and he had to do a lot of political juggling, but I think nowhere near what Obama has to deal with. I wonder if he needs to smoke more. (Or maybe he quit and that’s why he’s antsy–light up, Bamster!)
March 11th, 2009 at 10:57 pm
Yes, he certainly has gotten a lot done in terms of policy changes. Only problem is it’s all the stuff that’s been proven to be detrimental to any country that has tried it. And for the record, he hasn’t done that much since he’s been in office. All this stuff was mapped out way before he was ever elected.
March 12th, 2009 at 11:21 pm
“Only problem is it’s all the stuff that’s been proven to be detrimental to any country that has tried it.”
Keep repeating the same Right-wing nonsense…eventually, it may even be true, but don’t hold your breath…