Presidential Potshots: Is There Any Excuse?

Leaving aside the controversy surrounding President Obama's proposed tax cut "deal," he is becoming his own worst enemy. Yesterday's demonstration of how to alienate as many people as possible was a disaster. Who is advising him?

After a few words about priorities, Obama shifted into a defensive tone accompanied by a 'let-me-tell-you-about-the-real-world' attitude. Then came a volley of potshots aimed at "some" people in Washington "playing political games" and "scoring points" while he champions the unemployed and middle class.

Continuing the verbal slaps and innuendo aimed at his own party in order to aggrandize himself, the president insisted: "This isn't an abstract debate. This is real money for real people." As if we hadn't noticed! That's the problem. It's largely about really big money in tax savings for extremely rich people.

The president insulted Democrats, and anyone else who might disagree with him, by accusing them of wanting to engage in protracted debates instead of doing what's best for the American people. He knows "the folks" best, it seems.

I nearly fell over when he took credit for persuading the American people to agree with him that tax cuts for the wealthy are wrong, before reminding us again that his decision to cave on the issue was superior to other options. But we're not to worry -- because he promises to spend the next two years insisting that yet another extension of the tax cuts clearly would be unprincipled.

This way the president gets to be against the very thing he is proposing. It's a circular route to a solid right of center stance -- apparently just where the president likes to be.

Kathleen also blogs more on this topic at comebacksatwork