Feeling disappointed with Obama

John Cassidy isn't:

Back in 2008, I viewed him not as a transformative political figure but as a moderate, talented young Democrat, whose speaking skills and keen intelligence partly made up for his lack of experience. In a classic “time for a change” election, he was the right man in the right place. As President, I think Obama has done a fairly decent job of cleaning up the financial mess he inherited, keeping the economy afloat, and restoring America’s reputation in the world.

Unfortunately for Obama, the sensible Cassidy's reluctance to view him as some sort of political messiah wasn't shared widely. The 'transformative political figure' seems to me a sort of understatement: people really did think he could solve so many of their problems. You can imagine their disappointment at the result.

Like Cassidy, I still believe that Obama is a competent leader, and was certainly the most favourable option at the time. (Can you imagine Vice President Palin romping around the White House?) What many people seem to forget is that John McCain disqualified himself in selecting that fatuous bint for a running mate. Apologies for the harsh words, but anyone (with sense) who held faith in McCain surely lost it with his selection for a vice presidential nominee – who, I might add, is essentially an understudy for the office of president. It's amazing how many people were prepared to risk the prospect of Pres. Palin.