Is President Obama looking for an out from his second term?
Obama said that his wife, first lady Michelle Obama, and his two children would not have a problem if he decided against running for re-election. He hastened to add that they also believe in what he’s doing for the country.
This statement strikes me as very odd and peculiar. Why even bring that up? Knowing how his enemies, and they are legions of them, pounced like jackals on his wife’s statement “I am proud of my country for the first time” prior to his election in 2008, why would he provide political sharks with any tasty morsels to chew on?
When asked about procuring and then investing the requisite economic and emotional capital to mount a formidable defense of his presidency, the president said, “Michele and the kids are wonderful in that if I said, ‘You know, guys, I want to do something different.’ They’d be fine. “They’re not investing in daddy being president or my husband being president.”
Obama says the first lady would be the first one to encourage him to do something “a little less stressful” if she no longer thought that what they were doing was worthwhile for the country. Obama’s interview aired June 14 on NBC’s “Today” show.
I can almost hear Obama’s enemies sharpening their scalpels as we speak. They are going to dissect this statement better than a medical school corpse. Problem is, there’s enough meat on this issue to keep a pride of lions fed for a week. It gives even his supporters, upon initial reaction, reason to doubt his resolve and desire to endure and lead the country for a second term. It’s like Obama has gone “LeBron” on us. Can we depend on him during crunch time? Yes, Obama did turn mass murderer and terrorist Osama bin Laden into cuisine for various species of marine predators, much to the delight of the Western world. But still … do you want to quit at halftime?
Obama also may have subjected Michele Obama to unnecessary scrutiny when he said she is not “invested” in her husband being president. Thinking about the avalanche of criticism that she was buried under for her “proud of my country” comment from 2008, this was probably not the wisest statement to make.
Again, why even bring it up?
–terry shropshire
