![]() ![]() Internationally, he has vacillated, often appearing to take both sides and adding to the appearance of US weakness. But the president does bear some responsibility.Īt home he has not been a leader of his party, proving to be more a product of the era of divide and politicise than he is an antidote to it. Again, not all of the blame for this can be placed at the door of the Oval office. The result is a diplomatic dance with Moscow that may leave the perpetrators of chemical weapons attacks in place and Mr Obama weakened. Mr Obama’s notion of intervening in Syria has also been undone by perceived resistance in Congress – and, admittedly, among the American people. The withdrawal this week of Lawrence Summers from the race to be chair of the Federal Reserve, rather than face the legislators, is the latest example. ![]() The fact that Congress has become so split – a place where ideas and initiatives go to die – has had a broader effect. This illustrated and compounded the partisan problems that have made the last Congress the least productive since the 1940s. The fiscal deal that was engineered at the beginning of the new term ended up ensuring conflict over deficits, sequestration and the budget. It seemed sincere – even if it did underscore his uneasiness with backroom congressional politics. After the election he seemed to acknowledge the criticism that he had failed to reach out to Congress. Is Mr Obama to blame? The president cannot be held responsible for America’s poisonous politics. He has faltered in almost all areas of this agenda. Internationally, his goals were even simpler: get out of the wars he inherited and keep us out of trouble. Hoping that his 2012 election victory had given him a mandate, he sought to advance a limited agenda: immigration reform, resolving budget problems, perhaps some corporate tax changes and investment in infrastructure. Mr Obama began the year with modest aspirations. Recent events illustrate the situation and offer clues as to the reasons behind it. But barring a sea-change, he may achieve little more than he already has. Some external event – a war, a disaster, a foreign upset or opportunity, or a major misstep by his opponents in the US – could restore life to his presidency. As the events of recent months have weakened the president, revealed his weaknesses and shown deep flaws in the US political system, Mr Obama now runs the risk of becoming a lame duck very prematurely. ![]()
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