Most Americans have lost faith in President Obama’s leadership, and the administration seems to be desperately trying to fix that. According to the Politico, the White House is concerned that the war is undermining Obama’s self-portrait as an “economic commander-in-chief fighting a series of new threats to the fragile U.S. recovery, especially the devastating and politically poisonous rise in gas prices”:
Obama staffers have made it clear to Democratic allies they are worried about the effect of Libya on their economic message and that one of the factors pushing the administration to hand over control of military operations is the perception that the president is more focused on the Middle East than on Middle America.
How impatient is this administration? Only a few weeks into the war in Libya, and already they sound as if they’re growing tired of it.
But it does seem likely that Obama is eager to refocus on domestic challenges. Released today, his first reelection video didn’t contain a single mention of any issues–foreign or domestic. It’s not hard to see why: his approval rating on the economy has remained below 40 percent since early 2010, and his sole political success–healthcare–is viewed negatively by the majority of Americans.
