Do the Sharks Smell Blood in the Water?

As Wednesday will be a light blogging day -- must take care of necessary business in Tulsa -- I took a late look around to see what's percolating tonight, wondering how a big "up" day on Wall Street might affect the political outlook (not that it should).

What I found is that some big guns from the media are worried about their man, Obama.

Howard Fineman, at Newsweek, says the president is caught in a "riptide" caused by his being too nice, too deferential, and too interested in checking off his "to do" list than get involved in the details of his liberal policies.

Obama may be mistaking motion for progress, calling signals for a game plan. A busy, industrious overachiever, he likes to check off boxes on a long to-do list. A genial, amenable guy, he likes to appeal to every constituency, or at least not write off any. A beau ideal of Harvard Law, he can't wait to tackle extra-credit answers on the exam.

But there is only one question on this great test of American fate: can he lead us away from plunging into another Depression?

Fineman goes on with a devastating list of criticisms of Mr. Obama's leadership style and policies. He never quite tips his hand as to whether he agrees with the list or not, but you get the definite impression Fineman is worried.

Then there is the incomparable Camille Paglia, who I respect a great deal although we come from different sides of the political landscape. Paglia is furious with the Team Obama, although she seems to think the president is not responsible for the tone of his young administration. The attack on Rush was a mistake, she says, and Obama's surrogates on the economy and foreign affairs are doing more harm than good.

First it was that chaotic pig rut of a stimulus package, which let House Democrats throw a thousand crazy kitchen sinks into what should have been a focused blueprint for economic recovery. Then it was the stunt of unnerving Wall Street by sending out a shrill duo of slick geeks (Timothy Geithner and Peter Orszag) as the administration's weirdly adolescent spokesmen on economics. Who could ever have confidence in that sorry pair?

And then there was the fiasco of the ham-handed White House reception for British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, which was evidently lacking the most basic elements of ceremony and protocol. Don't they read the "Iliad" anymore in the Ivy League? Check that out for the all-important ritual of gift giving, which has cemented alliances around the world for 5,000 years.

President Obama -- in whom I still have great hope and confidence -- has been ill-served by his advisors and staff. [SNIP]

President Obama should yank the reins and get his staff's noses out of slash-and-burn petty politics. His own dignity and prestige are on the line. If he wants a second term, he needs to project a calmer perspective about the eternal reality of vociferous opposition, which is built into our democratic system.

I think any talk of a second term ought to wait until he's served at least six months, don't you?

Finally, there is Walter Alarkon at The Hill, who writes that Mr. Obama's Incredible Expanding Budget doesn't have the Democrat votes needed to get it passed.

Sen. Kent Conrad (D-N.D.) said he has spoken to enough colleagues about several different provisions in the budget to make him think Congress won’t pass it.

Conrad urged White House budget director Peter Orszag not to “draw lines in the sand” with lawmakers, most notably on Obama’s plan for a cap-and-trade system to curb carbon emissions.

“Anybody who thinks it will be easy to get the votes on the budget in the conditions that we face is smoking something,” Conrad said.

Naturally, WH press flak Bobby Gibbs sees no problems. "It's all part of the process," he said. There was no mention of whether Mr. Gibbs was smoking anything at the time.