The facts are these: For nearly three years and at a cost of nearly $5 trillion, Barack Obama, in serial fashion and through various manifestations, has tried massive borrowing to stimulate job growth, given that he had large Democratic majorities in the Congress for two years. It has resulted in high unemployment (9.1 percent), little growth in real GDP, and low polls (about 40–43 percent approval). Now he is barnstorming the country to find a wedge issue to achieve what neither the people nor the Congress want. I think it is about time that he should “step back a little,” and his team should “let their egos go,” since “everywhere he goes, the numbers just get worse.”

Obama said those things about George Bush in his fifth year of his presidency, when Bush tried to reform Social Security through partial privatization, though most either did not wish to or were wondering why he had not tried to reform it earlier, when his polls and congressional support were more favorable.

I think it would be wise at this point for Obama to heed his own wise advice: “step back,” “let go,” and try something different.