Monday night, Diane Sawyer interviewed
President Obama on ABC's World News and came away with a newsy sound
bite. When asked about the tough political headwinds he's up against,
Obama said he wouldn't scale back his agenda, even if it means not
getting reelected:
I’d rather be a really good one-term
president than a mediocre two-term president...There is a tendency in
Washington to believe our job
description, of elected officials, is to get reelected. That’s not our
job description. Our job description is to solve problems
and to help people.
Whether he's serious or simply projecting earnestness, the idea of a one-term Obama presidency
immediately excited conservatives. Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich prognosticated on Fox News that Obama is "probably a one-term president." That was plenty enough fodder for the conservative blogosphere to start salivating:
Sounds Good to Me, writes Melanie Morgan: "A whole bunch of Americans are working real hard to make sure he gets his wish."
Go Obama! writes Betsy Newmark: "The ambition to be a very good one-term president might be fine, but he
left out the third, and more probable option. He could be a mediocre
one-termer. We've had a lot more of those in our history. And after
Obama's first year, mediocrity would be an improvement."
Here's a Tip About America Dennis the Peasant writes: "America doesn't vote out really good presidents when it has
the chance. It votes out people like Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter and Bush
the Elder. Oh, and Herbert Hoover. You know, really bad presidents.
Dems Ready to Go Down with the Ship?Joshuapundit
writes: "He will stick to the script and keep going even if he destroys
the Democrats in the process... They're all stuck now with the man who
sits on the throne they moved
heaven and earth to steal, and if it's coming back to haunt them, so be
it. Share victory, share defeat."
Let's Do Our Best to Help Him writes Astute Bloggers:
"I think he may very well pull an LBJ or—to pick a more recent
examples—a Dodd and withdraw to give the Democrats a chance in 2012. We
can help, too! I think the GOP may very well retake both bodies of
Congress and that if this happens Obama will not seek re-election."
