Presidents are handed a lot of ticking time-bombs during their time in office, and Barack Obama has already juggled more than his share of ordinance.<\/p>\n
His tenure began with the economy circling the drain, with even the most temperate analysts suggesting that we might be sliding into a second Great Depression.<\/p>\n
He inherited not one but two wars.\u00a0 Our first African American president was elected by a nation that is deeply divided along social, political, racial, and geographic lines.<\/p>\n
And then there’s illegal immigration, and deep, systemic budget deficits, and did I mention the fact that oil giant BP set off another high explosive in the Gulf of Mexico?<\/p>\n
Americans have generally given Mr. Obama a passing but mediocre grade in his first three years in office.<\/p>\n
About half of voters approve of his job performance, and a somewhat higher number say they like the man personally.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the narrative in Washington these days is that his Democratic Party will be handed a walloping in November.<\/p>\n
If Republicans do take control of the House or Senate, it will certainly be seen as a referendum on the President’s agenda.<\/p>\n
The jittery mood surrounding the White House hit a new pitch this week when it was revealed that one of the Administration’s top military leaders, General Stanley McChrystal, had bad-mouthed Mr. Obama in a Rolling Stone interview.<\/p>\n
As the scandal spread, pundits wondered out loud whether Mr. Obama would survive this particular explosion.<\/p>\n
Bill O’Reilly, with Fox News, called the situation “chaos.”<\/p>\n
“This is the low point for the Obama administration, right now, today, the low point.\u00a0 On almost every front things are going badly.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
Politico’s chief\u00a0 political columnist, Roger Simon, published an essay asking bluntly if Obama had “run out of luck.”<\/p>\n
But within 24 hours, Mr. Obama had replaced Gen. McChrystal in a fashion which even many of his fiercest critics found impossible to condemn — installing Gen. David Petraeus in the post.<\/p>\n
By all accounts, the President responded calmly to the crisis, gathering facts, and then acting confidently. The Washington Post called the performance “a prime example of strong and decisive leadership.”<\/p>\n
Time magazine described his handling of l’affaire McChrystal as the “firm action of\u00a0 a hands-on executive.”<\/p>\n
Obviously, Mr. Obama will face many more tests before his term is done.\u00a0 The BP oil spill remains painfully unresolved.\u00a0 The national economy is fragile bordering on anemic.<\/p>\n
And negotiating this leadership crisis doesn’t resolve the deeper and thornier questions surrounding the future of the Afghan conflict.<\/p>\n
Still, the President’s performance this week is noteworthy.\u00a0 Mr. Obama may not be the wunderkind that many of his more breathless supporters hoped for.<\/p>\n
But it’s also clear from this performance that he is nothing like the bumbling and indecisive ideologue portrayed by his opponents.<\/p>\n
What do you think?\u00a0 Did Mr. Obama raise his grade this week?\u00a0 Comments welcome below.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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