When I read Paul Krugman today, it brought to mind something that I’ve been thinking about off and on  for the last few months:

“…this is about the president. After Massachusetts, Democrats were looking for leadership; they didn’t get it. Ten days later, nobody is sure what Obama intends to do, and his aides are giving conflicting readings. It’s as if Obama checked out.

Look, Obama is a terrific speaker and a very smart guy. He really showed up the Republicans in the now-famous give-and-take. But we knew that. What’s now in question isn’t his ability to talk, it’s his ability to lead.”

More and more I have the sneaking suspicion that this conversation took place sometime on the night of November 4, 2008, with Barack Obama in the role of Bill McKay, the character portrayed by Robert Redford in the movie The Candidate. “What do we do now?” seems to be the operative phrase in the Obama administration.

Life imitates art.