Why is this important?

Because the President is getting caught up in the ‘celebrity’ of the presidency and losing track of what’s really important.

It starts with the fact that he is limiting press access to insiders he approves of and manipulating his TV image.  BHO loves to seem spontaneous and instantly reflective, but the appearances are too frequently manufactured.

We all know, by now, that he is addicted to use of teleprompters (and he is skilled enough to make it seem he is speaking ‘off the cuff’ ). We also know now that he manipulates his press conferences so that pre-approved questions from pre-approved questioners are asked (so he and his staff have well-prepared ‘canned’ answers).

How can we know what our President really thinks, what he really believes, if we can’t see unrehearsed reaction to genuine issues?

This whole manipulation of the system (a change he has made for the worse) is beginning to wear on his well-manicured image.

Yes, he is intelligent.

Yes, he is charismatic (how much of this is artificial?).

Yes, he loves playing basketball (this weighs heavily in his favour in my opinion).

Yes, he wants America’s image overseas to improve (and we have a long way to go thanks to Bush and his cronies).

Yes, he wants America to be a better place for just about everyone (wait — detainees now held in Guantanamo as well?).

And, yes, he is a heck of a lot better (on the surface) than what we are used to.

But, we may not be getting what we paid for and we may not be getting the changes many voted for.

Why?

Because, Obama is relying on what he thinks the strengths of our great nation are and this makes him seem much less beligerent, less confident and dangerously submissive (to his fellow democrats in congress and more than a few nations who wish us no good).

There is a point where any politician has to stop trying to be nice/popular and get serious or even downright onery.

Obama sees America as strong because of our nuclear arsenal, our finacial system (broken as it is), our currency (weak as it is), and our historical reputation as a leader in important areas of international dispute.

Hence it seems he feels no need to continue to strengthen our defenses, to improve our financial system (with limited regulation and intelligent oversight), to change the way we do business (i.e. get rid of offensive and crude partisan politics lead by attack dogs — Pelosi, Reid, Emanuel).

The truth is our real strengths are the uniquely social aspects of our political, social and economic system:  our elementary schools, our universities, our obsession with technology (the good and the bad), our National Parks, our faith in God (and charity, wisdom, knowledge, etc.), our lust for education, and ____ (you fill in the blank).

We have no reason, as a nation, to believe we are better, stronger or ‘more right’, than any other nation.  We can, or should, agree on that in this new flat world.  But we have every reason to believe that we can again be a leader through example.

This goes for our everchanging form of capitalism, for our proven but still developing political system (we  need term limits), to our willingness to sacrifice when the need arises and the cause seems right (what would Europe or Asia look like today but for American blood shed on their behalf). . . though we don’t get it right very often it seems lately.

Mostly, though, our strength is in the combined wisdom and intelligence of 300 million citizens.  That means you and I.  The collective ‘we’ I often refer to.

These strengths need to be both understood and relied upon by our President (and it would be nice if Congress got it too).  We (the people) can make proper decisions if we are given proper choices.  This goes for the economy, health care and even energy independence.

We are still willing to make sacrifices too.  Just not useless ones that are dictated by an ‘elite’ leadership (serving more than two terms) who are overwhelmed by their own importance and perceived talents.

President Obama is going to miss a wonderful opportunity to make real change during the current crises of confidence and stature that America is going through.  Emanuel, his trusted advisor has said that he should not fail to take advantage of every crisis. But in some cases he must.

Truth is Obama and his minions are going ‘one crisis too far’ at the present time.  The effort to change (in many ways poorly) our energy and environmental reality is too much.

As the press, bloggers, and the public begin to see how much damage can be done when decisions are made quickly and with far too many ‘pet’ projects/concepts/ideologies thrown in — well, then the Democrat ‘emperors’ will be seen to be without clothes.

By over-reaching on this one issue, Obama’s great promise could be undone.  The other promises he has made (many of them genuinely wonderful) will be suspect and hence fail.

Obama’s celebrity, which he embraces far too willingly, is drawing his attention from important issues.  Obama’s feeling of invincibility (especially with the filibuster proof Senate now that Frankin won in Minnesota) is an illusion.  Obama’s belief that every other nation (foe and friend alike) will accept his openness and ‘regret’  for past behaviour as a national standard is going to backfire.

America has to be strong: militarily, economically, politically, morally, and ethically.  “We’ know that and ‘we’ support that.

Start listening to the people Mr President.  Start following the polls a little more carefully.  Start seeking true bi-partisan input on every important decision.  Start asking the right questions and start giving genuine and ‘off the cuff’ responses to ours.

Most of all stop trying to be so popular and such a celebrity.  Stop all the travel, talk shows, interviews and visits with your ‘favorites.’  Spend some real time in the oval office doing some real work.  When I was starting my own business I worked 90 hours weeks and sometimes put in more time.  Real hard, committed, dedicated work.  I know many others who have done the same.  That is what we need from our leader(s).

Mr. President, start prioritizing the big changes you (we) want and focus on one (maximum two) at a time.

That is all we can handle.  That is all we can afford. That is all we want.

You might be surprised, BHO, by what happens in three years if you don’t start paying attention to the truly important parts of the job!!

‘We’ might be surprised too (and disappointed).