Another Liberal Unhappy With Obama

Paul Krugman isn't the only liberal who is unhappy with President Obama.

Consider what Jonathan Cohn wrote in The New Republic today:

Second-guessing political decisions is not something I like to do--at least not in print. Ask me whether Medicare should pay less for surgical procedures and I will give you my opinion with conviction. But ask me whether a political figure made the smart call by confronting an opponent, and I’ll probably demur. That’s because politics so often comes down to difficult judgment calls--and so often involves things happening behind the scenes.

And maybe that's what's happening here. My limited sources tell me only so much. But the frustration with the administration was palpable among Democrats today. Members of Congress and their staffs were asking the same questions I was: What does the president want? How badly does he want it? A lot of the legislators ended up running for the exits. And while lack of a clear party line from the White House surely wasn't the reason for Democratic panic on Wednesday--the political anger behind the Massachusetts election is real enough--it doesn't appear to have made that panic less likely, either.

While Cohn does end his piece by stating, "Maybe the White House is finding its footing after all," Cohn's disappointment in Obama is palpable. If President Obama doesn't deliver on health care the Left is going to view it as a betrayal. The Krugmans and Cohns might soon find a new savior in the form of Howard Dean or Russ Feingold. As much discontent there is with Obama from conservatives it is ultimately anger from liberals that would render him a one term wonder. Hell hath no fury like a liberal scorned. The cracks are beginning to show.