Right about now, the President should be watching his Campaign '08 footage and...

[Poll_Blind]

...getting a clue as to why he was elected. Healthcare reform stuck in the courts and just about everything else viewed as capitulation to Republicans, he needs to grow a keel and start sailing the other way. He absolutely has enough time to do it. This isn't some hypothetical possibility.

If he wants 2012 to be his year and if he wants the Democratic Party to gain seats, he's going to have to start showing some leadership and giving people what they were hoping for: A real change, a break away from the failed Bush policies and wars, strong Federal oversight to reign in out of control corporate greed across the spectrum.

If he's not up for doing that, if he is going to blame all of congress without calling the Republicans out from the bully pulpit, if he's going to continue this ineffectual middle-manager-over-his-head, just-keep-the-ball-rolling silliness, we are all going to be disappointed in 2012 whether he wins or not.

Again, this is something he can achieve if he chooses to pursue it.

Stop fighting with the Democrats and start fighting with the Republicans. Wag a finger, name some names but most of all deliver.

The best GOP challenger the President can hope to face is a typical rabid Republican psychopath. But, on the off chance that somebody like Paul actually gets the nomination, or that other Republican candidates should popularly adopt some of that rhetoric (like "Stop the wars!"), he's going to wind up running and debating against himself in 2008.

The person who will win the 2012 elections is going to be the person who does the best, most-convincing impression of Barack Obama in 2008. No reason why that can't be Barack Obama again, but he has to start making changes now.

PB