Obama and the doughnut doctrine of leadership

Charles Blow, op-ed columnist at the NY Times, was one of those collegial liberal pundits to gleefully pile on in the sexist trashing of Hillary Clinton and propel the woefully inexperienced Barack Obama to the Democratic nomination in 08.

In his critique of Obama’s jobs speech the other night, Blow speaks of his fallen idol this way:

He isn’t only battling a calcifying cynicism about the inefficacy of government in general, he’s battling the rapidly hardening public perception that he himself is a product of what I call the doughnut doctrine of leadership — soft, glazy, hollow in the middle and ideally suited for getting dunked.

Read Blow’s entire column here.

So the hope and change guy said the word "jobs" 37 times in 34 minutes last night

Susan Page at USA Today got it right:

WASHINGTON – Among the jobs President Obama hopes to save with Thursday night's proposals to a Joint Session of Congress is his own.

(text continues below video).

Page continues:  

There are no guarantees that the $447 billion American Jobs Act will be enacted, or that it would significantly reduce unemployment if it were. But the package of payroll tax relief, extended jobless benefits, and funding to repair schools, fix roads and keep teachers working at the minimum gives Obama a plan to extol — and to batter a "do nothing" Congress with if it fails to act.

He exhorted Congress to "pass this jobs bill" or "pass it right away" 16 separate times. And he said the word "jobs" 37 times in 34 minutes.

Read more: