Raising The Bar On Expectations Of A President

By Cernig

One thing I'll say about Obama - it's been a long time since America looked to its President with such expectations of his impact. Bush, both father and son, and Clinton didn't exactly inspire. Reagan had his moments but even so wasn't accorded the contemporary universal acclaim for his presence that the hagiography of the Right would give him (especially abroad).

But it seems everyone expects Obama to shine as a public presence. Even the Right in opposition expect to be spending more time pointing out what they will say is the seedier truth behind Obama's soaring rhetoric than pointing out how much they believe he is unprepared to be President. That election time argument is now largely forgotten. Of course, even they are also belatedly accepting that George W. Bush was just as woefully unready, throughout his time in office, as they say Obama is now. And no-one is saying Obama will be as slow a student as Dubya. If he truly is unprepared right now, he won't be after a year in office.

But how refreshing is it to have a President's speeches compared to Lincoln, even before he's in office and even if the comparison puts Obama on a lower level of excellence so far? After a long series of dumb and dumber, it's nice to be raising the bar on expectations for once. Bush's legacy is shaping up to be as simply the guy who came before him.