Back in the Saddle Again

Yesterday was just another regular day at the White House. In front of a podium, the American flag displayed ever-so-perfectly in the background, stood our president in front of the press corps to answer pertinent questions concerning why the House should not vote down the recent compromise on tax cuts. He looked so at ease, as always, taking control with his typical savoir faire. It was such a relief to know he was finally taking control, finally in charge of the opposition. The problem is, the man at the podium was former President Clinton, not Barack Obama.

Following a crisis meeting in which Mr. Obama sought the wisdom of Mr. Clinton on how to handle the growing dissension within their own party, as well as the impending GOP control of the House in January, the former and current presidents showered the press with a Q and A worthy of an SNL skit. As Mr. Obama stood to the side of Mr. Clinton at the podium like a slightly chastened yet respectful teen watching his big brother fight the bullies on his behalf, rationalizations mingled with explanations regarding why the House must pass the tax cuts in order to extend unemployment benefits for 13 months, spewed forth from Clinton's well-honed tongue.

Solidarity indeed! In fairness, one of the ways in which President Clinton had been able to reverse the political losses in the Senate and the House during his presidency was to enlist the aid of several unlikely sources, one of whom was the savvy and level-headed Republican then-consultant David Gergen. It worked. Clinton made corrections, held his ground, and kept the economy and his party from falling into the Potomac. A wise leader should always reach out for help when change is urgent. Asking a former president who had faced similar difficulties was, in my opinion, a very wise move. Who would fault him for doing such a thing?

The slightly ridiculous aspect to the press conference, however, was how quickly Mr. Obama delegated a very important moment to Bill Clinton by announcing that he had to leave to "meet with Michelle" and then abruptly exited the stage and was not to be seen or heard from again for the remainder of the day, leaving good ole' Bill to talk on and on to sell the House naysayers on the tax cut via an open plea.

Gee, Mr. Obama, it's great to know you care about keeping your appointments with your wife and, as a happily married man, your priorities are clean and clear. But (there is usually a "but" with regard to President Obama these days) what the eff are your priorities? Whether or not you chose to hand the microphone over to a seasoned persuader to rally the troops and bow out in order to provide Clinton focused attention, it might have been smarter to say you had to "get back to work" instead of telling the world you might be a bit pussy-whipped if you kept Michelle waiting one minute longer for God-knows-what purpose.

Hey, I like you, I really do, Mr. Obama. You're cool and all of that. I just don't get who is running your ship these days because it appears to be floating around in shark-infested waters while you continue to take skinny dips off the bow.

Oh well. Nice to see you back, Bill. Now all of those who complained that Obama has surrounded himself with your former associates can bellow loud and clear that it didn't matter whether Hillary or Obama won the race, because you would still be there, the shadow who always shows.