Obama broke his one and only real campaign promise

Most of Obama’s campaign promises fell into the unicorn category.  They were so vague or unreal that only idiots or Democrats could reasonably be expected to believe them.  The one thing that we were promised, though, was that he was a great communicator.  His speeches were the second coming of Lincoln’s oratorical skills.  People heard and swooned.

It is true that Obama’s 2004 speech was nice.  And he certainly had a way with the teleprompter.  All of which promised only one thing to voters:  The man could communicate.

This meant that people who understood that he was completely inexperienced, who recognized that his past affiliations were (to say the least) unsavory, and who found his politics confusing at best, still knew that they were electing someone who would transform the White House from a mere bully pulpit to a wellspring of lucid, compelling political argument.  “Nuculear” and “misunderestimate” would be gone forever, replaced by someone who would set the world of words on fire.

Does anyone therefore find it as ironic as I do that the only failure to which Obama is willing to admit in connection with his (almost) two years in the White House is — communication:

After suffering a “shellacking” in the midterm elections, President Obama acknowledges what many have seen as his chief weakness – failing to sell the importance of several legislative milestones to the American people.

“I think that’s a fair argument. I think that, over the course of two years we were so busy and so focused on getting a bunch of stuff done that, we stopped paying attention to the fact that leadership isn’t just legislation. That it’s a matter of persuading people. And giving them confidence and bringing them together. And setting a tone,” Mr. Obama told 60 Minutes’ Steve Kroft in an exclusive interview set to air Sunday.

“Making an argument that people can understand,” Mr. Obama continued, “I think that we haven’t always been successful at that. And I take personal responsibility for that. And it’s something that I’ve got to examine carefully … as I go forward.”

Damn it!  That was the only thing the guy could actually do, and it’s his own self-confessed biggest failure.