After joining the chorus of media outlets that clamored openly for an Obama victory last fall, perhaps Newsweek feels obligated to offer a bit of a corrective.
Whatever the justification, the magazine features articles this week from Joseph Epstein and Yuval Levin, who examine respectively the topics of broken promises and partisan fights.
I found Epstein’s observations particularly interesting:
It is in the nature of politicians to make promises; it is what
they do. Some do so without the least intention of delivering on their
promises. Some fully intend to deliver, but find the world obdurate,
unwilling to go along with their fine intentions. Barack Obama now
finds himself among the latter. With loony jihadists threatening from
without, a crumbling economy terrorizing its citizens from within,
Obama knew he needed straightaway to demonstrate utmost competence to
stem fear and instill confidence. The reason for his wanting to
assemble an able cabinet more quickly than any other administration in
recent history was to show that, though the nation had major problems,
they were under study and would soon be attacked by the most capable
minds of our time. He needed to calm the country down, and show, in a
measured but forceful way, that a strong hand was at the wheel.
This
he has thus far failed abysmally to do. Very disappointing, to the
country at large, and not least, I have no doubt, to Barack Obama
himself.
