There's no shame in being a one-term President
I was reading an article speculating that Obama might replace Vice President Biden with Hillary Clinton. The thought was that Obama could use Biden as a scapegoat and prevent Hillary from mounting a campaign against him in 2012.
But here's my question: why do we assume that Obama will even run in 2012? Would you want to be President now? I mean, when times are good, I'm sure it's tough, but fun. But in a long recession, a quagmire in Asia and a looming fiscal crisis, it's gotta suck.
So, Obama could put himself through another nasty campaign, this time grounded in dismal reality rather than lofty rhetoric, and if he "wins" he'll get to make a bunch of unpopular choices. Awesome.
On the other hand, he could quit, wrap things up in D.C. and ride the storm out from wherever he wants in comfort & style.
I wouldn't blame him if he chose the latter option. I think our leaders are in for a tough ride and if that's not your thing, then why not get off of the bus while you still can?
He could save face with some vague talk about "health reasons" and keep whatever legacy he has intact. Maybe he can even serve the country in some other capacity. But, he doesn't have to be the fall guy for everything.
Posted by kris at August 10, 2010 01:25 PM
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| # August 10th, 2010 2:54 PM BVBigBro |
| Exactly how is Joe Biden going to be the scaprgoat for anything? |
| # August 10th, 2010 8:38 PM themandownthehall |
| Hillary won't do it. She's biding her time. She's going to run against him and will crush him this time. Obama won't walk away because his ego is way too big for that.
The only questions are 1, will Hillary be able to differentiate herself from Obama in a general election and 2, will the repubs run someone who can win. If they do, they will beat Hillary or Obama. If they don't it's 4 more years of dem rule. Sadly, I miss Bill Clinton... |
| # August 11th, 2010 10:00 AM kris |
| I don't know how easily Hillary could beat Obama in a primary without any of the black vote.
I honestly do question why anyone would want to be President now or in the near future. I don't know that any President will have a chance to actually do anything they want to because they'll have to deal with the budget. You know, I do honestly believe that people come to the Presidency with the best of intentions for the country. I may not agree with them, but I think you get to be President out of a need for accomplishment AND a sense of duty. It's gotta be hard to be President and not be able to feel that accomplishment part. I'm always reminded of Herbert Hoover's great quote when Truman invited him to the White House for some task force. He was just so thrilled because it had been 20+ years since anyone had asked him to do anything for his country. |