If Barack Obama loses this election, the consensus will be that he blew it with that lackluster effort in the first presidential debate.

Obama Channeling Al Green

A New Low

According to a Gallup poll, President Obama's approval rating now stands at an anemic 39%, which is even lower than his predecessor George W. Bush at a comparable time in his presidency. A bus tour through the Midwest isn't likely to change the situation.

Obama Capitulates

Having voted for Barack Obama in the 2008 presidential election and witnessing, in what was for those of my generation, his improbable victory as the nation's first African-American chief executive, I am beginning to feel a sense of buyer's remorse with each decision the president makes, the debt ceiling deal being the latest case in point. Despite the lofty rhetoric, Obama falls painfully short when it comes to bold, decisive action. At the outset of this manufactured crisis, Obama insisted on a balanced approach of budget cuts and increased taxes on corporations and the rich. What we ended up with is a deal that focuses on spending cuts but says nothing about the revenue side of the equation. So much for the balanced approach and shared sacrifice.

The Birth

This morning the White House released a photocopy of President Obama's long term birth certificate, confirming that he was indeed born in the state of Hawaii on August 4, 1961. Whether this is sufficient to assuage the lunatic birthers and the billionaire buffoon Donald Trump, I seriously doubt it. It is impossibly difficult to reason with the crazily irrational.

Questions and Answers

Like most Americans of whatever political persuasion, I look forward with great anticipation to President Obama's speech tonight explaining why he decided to intervene in Libya's civil war and establish a no-fly zone. I will be listening to hear how he resolves the contradiction, on the one hand, calling for Moammar Gaddafi's outster while, on the other hand,claiming that United States involvement is strictly limited to humanitarian concerns, i.e., the protection of Libyan civilians. I will be listening to hear how intervention is justified in this case but not when, for instance, Israelis fire on Palestinians or the Saudis use of force in neighboring Bahrain to put down protests.

First Fan

President Obama's compulsion to comment on or inject himself into the world of sports is annoying; for instance, yesterday during a White House news conference with Mexican President Felipe Calderon, Obama was asked and too gleefully answered a question about intervening in talks between National Football League owners and the players union, who among other things are struggling on how to share $9 billion in revenue.

The Sherrod Affair

The Shirley Sherrod affair is sorry commentary on the Obama White House's manner in handling racially charged situations. What is particularly galling is how they allowed themselves to be punked by right wingers determined to bring them down. So hypersensitive to charges of preferential treatment for black folks that they never bothered to get all the facts before rushing to judgement. And the mea culpas by Administration spokesmen, including Obama himself and Agriculture Secretary Vilsack, are too little, too late.

Obama's Buck

Obama is in a tough situation. In his press conference, he tried to reassure the nation that his administration was in charge and that, as president, the buck stopped with him. But the reality is, he isn't in charge because it is British Petroleum, not the federal government, that possesses the expertise and technology to tackle the massive oil leak. So those folks calling for him to do more and step in and replace BP, they are delusional. Hell, Coast Guard Adm. Thad Allen said as much: "Replace (BP) with what?" That said, it is clear that BP is damn near clueless about what will work.

Obama's Victory

With the passage of the health care bill, something that eluded many of predecessors for nearly a century, Obama displayed a toughness, resolve, and determination that belie his air of detachment and professorial cool.

Obama's Moment of Truth

Obama has staked his presidency on final passage of the Health Care Reform Bill. Whether the Democratic majorities in both houses of congress will rise to the challenge and make it happen, frankly, remains to be seen. A victory will galvanize an administration in dealing with other thorny issues; a defeat would be a crippling blow to its effectiveness. What is clear is that the Republicans remain resolute and unshakably united in their opposition and, as such, making appeals for bipartisanship are exercises in futility.

Wild About Harry

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.), in assessing the candidacy of Barack Obama, reportedly said: a 'light-skinned' African American 'with no Negro dialect, unless he wanted to have one." Of course, when a public figure says exactly what he feels and then discovers it is stupid, what follows is the proverbial, lame-ass apology:

"I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words. I sincerely apologize for offending any and all Americans, especially African Americans for my improper comments.

"I was a proud and enthusiastic supporter of Barack Obama during the campaign and have worked as hard as I can to advance President Obama's legislative agenda.

"Moreover, throughout my career, from efforts to integrate the Las Vegas strip and the gaming industry to opposing radical judges and promoting diversity in the Senate, I have worked hard to advance issues important to the African American community."

Obama's Hoops

Obama's fondness for hoops - games are held featuring only the fellas - is apparently causing consternation among some women supporters who feel that Obama's female staff are excluded from access to the president and therefore are being marginalized. This falls in the category of the silly non-story that is much ado about nothing.

Coming Up Short

It appears that the vaunted Obama Magic (with earth mother Oprah thrown in for good measure) met its match in the International Olympic Committee as that imperial body awarded the 2016 Olympic Games to Rio de Janeiro, despite the illustrious triumvirate's best efforts on behalf of Chicago, Illinois.

Obama Overload

President Barack Obama appeared on five Sunday talk shows pushing one of the signature issues of his campaign - health care reform. The White House's position is that the president is the most effective weapon it has and therefore it is good politics to put him out on the hustings. However, polls seem to indicate that the nation is roughly split down the middle, meaning few minds are changed through Obama's many appearances. I am afraid that the administration is running the risk of overexposing Obama. Of course, the best thing to come out of Obama's multiple appearances is that Fox was left out of the loop. All I can say is good riddance.

Alien Ideas

If an alien visitor from outer space had alighted in these United States, he could not be faulted for believing that either Russian president Dimitry Medvedev or Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez, through some weird circumstance, had been invited to speak to America's unsuspecting children on what is traditionally the first day of school and that a significant amount of the populace was feverishly upset about the threat of indoctrination and adoption of socialist ideas. The visitor would be astounded to learn that the speaker was none other than the duly elected president of the Republic - Barack Hussein Obama.

Obama's War of Necessity

On the domestic front, President Obama's biggest challenge this summer has been health care reform but, with Gen. Stanley A. McChrystal, the top U.S. commander for Afghanistan, set to pay a visit and, in all likelihood, request additional troops in what Obama calls a war of necessity, the administration's biggest foreign policy issue is about to take center stage. Public support for the war in Afghanistan has declined while American casualties continue to mount. Conservative columnist George F. Will argues that Washington needs to keep faith with those men and women in harm's way "by rapidly reversing the trajectory of American involvement in Afghanistan."

The Beer Summit

The much hyped Obama beer summit, where the principals in the Gates affair - Henry Louis Gates and Sgt. James Crowley - were invited to the White House to discuss their little misunderstanding over beer was much ado about nothing. If the intent was to use the incident as what Obama termed "a teachable moment" in the thorny issue of race in America then it came up pitifully short.

Harrison's Idiocy

Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker James Harrison has chosen to forgo Barack Obama's invitation to visit the White House for reasons that do not make any sense:

"This is how I feel -- if you want to see the Pittsburgh Steelers, invite us when we don't win the Super Bowl. As far as I'm concerned, he (Obama) would've invited Arizona if they had won."

Apparently, Harrison does not get the subtle point that only the victors in the Super Bowl are honored with the invitation. Then again, he confirms the observation that athletic prowess should not be confused with the ability to think logically.

Lunching

Whoever came up with the bright idea of having Obama and Biden do their weekly lunch at "Ray's Hell Burger" should be dismissed. Like the disastrous foray into the bowling alley during the Pennsylvania primary, Obama comes across as stiff and wooden in these settings. Grabbing a bite to eat at a joint located in a strip mall that features food high in caloric intake and low in nutrition is difficult to reconcile with a president known for being extremely particular about what he eats. Which is why Obama's question - "Have you got a spicy mustard or something like that? A Dijon mustard?" - was ridiculous.