a sad ending, still unfolding...

A good essay from Matt Welch in Reason on the trajectory of the Obama presidency and its rhetoric...

One would have reasonably expected his presidency to be mediocre at best, given...
-the public's choice of anyone who wasn't a Republican (given Bush's lame presidency);
-the emphasis of style over substance in the campaign and his campaigning while in office;
-the odd prevalence of people who obsess about sin X and struggle with the same sin (e.g., transparency; peace; post-racial rhetoric);
-the executive branch experience of a senator and community organizer;
-the pursuit of power and politics over policy
-etc.

Then, you throw in a second term where a man of few ideas must govern as a lame-duck with few previous successes. A sad ending to his presidency, really. Hopefully, the last 2+ years won't be any worse.