Having failed in his efforts to be the new FDR or the liberal Reagan, Barack Obama has settled for reconfiguring himself as the new Harry S. Truman, the reigning political saint of lost causes to whom all possible losers appeal. Every politician in trouble channels Truman, but President Obama now wants to channel his strategy. He is running against a do-nothing GOP Congress, going so far as to propose legislation with little chance of succeeding so that he can blame them when it fails. This and other small things (such as the Cold War) did work for Harry, but whether it can be transposed to the situation of the current incumbent is an open question, and the reasons for this would be these:

» Republicans in 2010 lost a few Senate races (thanks, Sharron Angle!), leaving Democrats in control, whereas Truman had an entire GOP Congress to deal with. Except for Bush 43 from 2003 to 2006, every Republican president since 1932 has faced opposition from one house of Congress, and often from both. Nixon, Ford and Bush 41 always faced two hostile houses of Congress, as did Reagan and George Bush the younger in the final two years of their terms. It didn’t do Reagan much harm, and Bush managed to save his surge in Iraq against fierce opposition. Competent people manage to deal with these problems. The entire executive branch under Obama’s control, and a six-seat edge in the Senate, and he still thinks he’s helpless? Please.