In a campaign event in Atlanta, President Obama employed this argument on his behalf:
I’m not perfect and I’ll never be a perfect president but I told you that I’d always tell you what I thought, I’d always tell you what I believe and most importantly I told you I’d wake up every single day and fight as hard as I knew how for you. That I’d fight as hard as I knew how for all those folks who were doing the right thing out there. All those people who’ve kept the faith with this country and you know what? I’ve kept that promise. I have kept that promise. I believe in you. I hope you still believe in me.
These words, while banal (and somewhat plaintive), are also instructive. A general rule in politics is that when a chief executive says he hasn’t been a “perfect president,” it means he’s been dramatically less than perfect. It’s analogous to John Edwards claiming he hasn’t been a perfect husband.
A second rule worth bearing in mind is this: When an incumbent’s case for re-election rests in large part on the fact that he wakes up every single day fighting hard for the American people, he’s in trouble. It means the incumbent can’t make a compelling defense of his record or sketch out a compelling second-term agenda. And the promises he says he’s kept don’t have to do with improving the objective conditions of the nation; they have to do with a subjective claim of good intentions.
“I tried hard” and “I meant well” are explanations a mother might take into account if her son failed in his Algebra I course. As a re-election slogan, however, it leaves something to be desired.
He was fighting hard on all 100 rounds of golf at the taxpayers expense. In addition to being our first black, gay, female (and for all we know, Cherokee) president, he's the first Golf War president.
Not to mention the hundreds of money raising junkets. nThere is absolutely no time available to be president……except for having fun deciding on each week's hit list.
What's hysterically funny is that MSNBC would disagree with that statement. Obama is the alpha and the omega over there.
"I’ll never be a perfect president.." Thats funny, Obama isn't even a decent president.
What I would love to ask the narcissist in chief is: n n"Mr. President, what ever made you think you should even BE president?"
No sensible person expects Obama or anyone else to be "perfect." But this remark is just another example of Obama'a immaturity and self pity and a transparent to weasel out of his failure to take any responsibility for his lack of leadership and his indifference to America's economic problems. nTo me there is nothing more loathsome in a man than self pity.
No one wants or expects a perfect president, we just want one that believes in America, has priorities in order, and works for all Americans, not just the campaign donors.