Where in the world is Obama?

Obama desperately needs to turn things around before he (and America) become toast. He campaigned on change and being everything that Bush wasn't. Throughout his campaign, he exuded a cool and calm and competent demeanor even when everything seemed to be melting down around him. No drama Obama. But he could give one hell of a passionate speech and connect with people in a way that could bring a tear to the eye of even a hardened political cynic like me. He could connect with ordinary people who struggle with jobs and healthcare costs and who ordinarily view the government with suspicion and cynicism. He could connect with the people who followed politics on a deeper level and were greatly concerned about the rise in the power of the President, the shredding of the Constitution, and the rise of money and power on Wall Street. For the last year, he has hung on to that calm cool and cerebral demeanor, but the passion and connection with the people of any sort are gone.

Here is the current state of the Union:

-Healthcare reform looks like it's dead.

-Wall Street continues its shenanigans with record bonuses while unemployment is over 10%.

-Iraq is off the radar screen, but maybe not for long.

-Afghanistan is in the middle of a military surge.

-Guantanamo is still open, and indefinite detention without trial is now Obama's official policy.

-And Haiti, let's not forget Haiti.

So Obama's probably got more on his plate than any President ever, and unless he truly was a superhero, there's no way he can fix everything at once. But one would think that he would fix some of the problems, and one would think that he could retain some of the popular and populist support that propelled him into office.

Here are a few things (not necessarily in the order of importance) he could do:

-Tax the hell out of Wall Street bonuses rather than proposing wonky fixes no one understands.

-Ram healthcare reform through congress. If nothing is done, Obama and the Democrats will still be tarred with the brush of failure.

-Blame Bush more. People have forgotten that Bush created the economic mess. It took two terms of Bush (and arguably at least one term of Clinton) to create the mess we're in. No reasonable person could expect it all to be fixed in a year.

-Blame Bush more. Bush created the quagmires in Iraq and Afghanistan.

-Repudiate rather than embrace the Presidential powers that he inherited from Bush. Close Guantanamo and either try or free the current inmates. And while you're at it, investigate and try former Bush administration officials for war crimes.

-Give Haiti some real aid. While the rubble is still being cleared, give incentives to business to open a few sweat shops there. While do all our t-shirts have to be made in Vietnam anyway? Provide boatloads of propane and stoves for cooking and start a major reforestation effort to restore the land to agricultural productivity. Set a goal of spending 10%/year in Haiti of what we're spending in Afghanistan.

And finally, bring back the passion and conviction. Use the power of the bully pulpit. Grow some cajones. Don't try and compromise with your opponents. Just do what has to be done and if you fail, you'll go down in a blaze of glory.