Over His Head?

A month ago I wrote I am concerned that Barack Obama is in way over his head as President of the United States.

His continued handling -- or lack thereof -- of our current economic crisis hasn't assuaged my worry on this score.

Articles such as the one in today's London Daily Telegraph (click title of this post) don't make me feel any better -- the paper's Washington sources alternately claim the President was too tired to properly handle the visit by the British Prime Minister, that he and his staff didn't "get" the niceties of foreign diplomacy and our relationship with Britain, and, worst of all, there's this quote from a State Department employee: "There's nothing special about Britain. You're just the same as the other 190 countries in the world. You shouldn't expect special treatment."

If that quote is the real deal, it's pretty scary stuff.

The Telegraph article says Mr. Obama is "surprised at the sheer volume" of work. I suspect the President's complete lack of executive experience is proving to be a real hindrance in terms of managing his job and his time.

If Mr. Obama is so exhausted six weeks or so into his Presidency that he can't properly handle diplomatic relations with our country's greatest ally, how will he cope if a crisis of another sort hits later in his Presidency? The prospect is alarming, to say the least.

And can you imagine how the press and late-night comedians would carry on if President Bush wouldn't make any public remarks without his teleprompter, wanting to go so far as to have one installed inside his podium for press conferences? It seems very likely that the President avoided having the traditional joint press conference with the British Prime Minister because he would have been on his own without the teleprompter.

At this point I fully expect the new President to use a teleprompter when he pardons the Thanksgiving turkey this fall...

The focus on the massive liberal agenda, dishonestly asserting that expensive programs like universal healthcare and carbon taxes will fix the economy, is disturbing, to say the least, and the markets don't like it. While the markets are tanking and retirement plans are shrinking, the President and his staff instead are focused on Rush Limbaugh and tax and spend plans for the future.

If the President and Congress continue down the current path, I fear this economy won't recover for a very long time. But at this point I honestly can't help wondering if that isn't part of the plan, in order to further grow citizens' dependence on government.

For more on all of the above, don't miss Mark Steyn and Jonah Goldberg.

Monday Update: Ed Morrissey on the coming economic devastation of Obama's planned carbon emission tax and why continued economic problems would play into Obama's plans to remake the country, if he escapes blame for deepening the recession with his massive tax and spending hikes.