O is for ownership, Obama

Sure, this comes as a partisan blast, but the reality is, much of
this mouthful is true. The Obama presidency is in trouble,
and stories of tension and infighting among top staff are complicating
matters as the severely divided Democratic Party tries to send healthcare reform
to the end zone in the coming weeks.
 
But as I wrote in my column
this week, focusing our attention on whether senior adviser David
Axelrod is blinded by his admiration for President Obama, or
whether Rahm Emanuel and his F-words are to blame, is a
waste of time. So is the larger question of which one of the two are to blame
for Obama’s plunge in popularity and the political problems he and his
party are facing after a year of reaching high and falling flat.
 
President Obama has himself to thank or blame for any decision coming out
of the White House. No, he cannot control the Congress, but Axelrod and Emanuel
are merely advisers and in the end Obama owns the decisions he has
made and the politically difficult consequences that resulted from them.
 

CAN DEMS PASS HEALTH REFORM WITHOUT THE PRO-LIFERS? Ask A.B.
returns Tuesday, March 16. Please join my weekly video Q&A by sending
your question and comments to askab@digital-release.digital-release.thehill.com.
Thank you.