From "D.C. Turns On Obama" by Mike Allen and Jim VandeHei, published this evening by Politico:
The town is turning on President Obama – and this is very bad news for this White House....This is a pretty good cover version, but I preferred the 1998 Sally Quinn original:
Obama's aloof mien and holier-than-thou rhetoric have left him with little reservoir of good will, even among Democrats. And the press, after years of being accused of being soft on Obama while being berated by West Wing aides on matters big and small, now has every incentive to be as ruthless as can be.
This White House's instinctive petulance, arrogance and defensiveness have all worked together to isolate Obama at a time when he most needs a support system....
With some exceptions, the Washington Establishment is outraged by the president's behavior in the Monica Lewinsky scandal.... people want some formal acknowledgment that the president's behavior has been unacceptable....The irony of the Quinn piece is that the two living Americans most admired for their work in D.C. politics are both named ... Clinton. If we extend the definition of "D.C. politics" to include D.C. political journalism, that's still true. (Sorry, Bob Woodward. And Ben Bradlee.)
THIS IS THEIR HOME. This is where they spend their lives, raise their families, participate in community activities, take pride in their surroundings. They feel Washington has been brought into disrepute by the actions of the president.
"It's much more personal here," says pollster Geoff Garin. "This is an affront to their world. It affects the dignity of the place where they live and work.... Clinton's behavior is unacceptable. If they did this at the local Elks Club hall in some other community it would be a big cause for concern."
"He came in here and he trashed the place," says Washington Post columnist David Broder, "and it's not his place."
At this moment, it's hard to imagine that Barack Obama will leave office as widely admired as Bill did in 2001 and Hillary did earlier this year. But I hope it happens, just so Allen and VandeHei can choke on it.
