Obama Fails His Test of Strength

Obama adviser David Axelrod offered up a sad little whistle through the graveyard after the debt ceiling deal:

“In the short term, everyone suffers politically .... In the long term, I think the Republicans have done terrible damage to their brand. Because now they’re thoroughly defined by their most strident voices.”

Is it possible that the Obama people actually believe that junk?

After this deal, what formerly was extreme is now suddenly mainstream - indeed, now suddenly endorsed by most Democrats and hailed by President Obama as a great achievement for the American people.

Once upon a time, long ago, President Obama's message was: "My stimulus program will save jobs."

Then the message shifted: "My stimulus plan has saved jobs."

That message long ago lost its credibility. And so after Sunday's deal, the administration will has backed itself - largely inadvertently - into a new message: "We agree with the Republicans that it's time to stop worrying about jobs. But unlike them, we favor a balanced approach that ignores jobs while also raising taxes."

Good luck with that.