Now, Democrats join Dick Cheney's critique of Obama

President Obama is set to grant a blanket pardon shortly to this year's White House turkeys. 

But while Obama advised his cabinet Monday to take a little time off this week, presumably to give thanks and watch Detroit lose to Green Bay again, there's a real challenge for the 44th president to discern today: exactly what he should be thankful for. Never mind his slow, steady fade in the polls, matching the slow, steady rise in unemployment.

Although he's not in any election for nearly three more years, Obama's reputation, congressional clout and ability to accomplish pretty much anything is in serious jeopardy come next November's midterms, if not before. Former VP Dick Cheney, who single-handedly reinvented the wonderful Wyoming word "dithering" in recent weeks, is at Obama again (see video below) in no uncertain terms.

Which some might find predictable. But would they expect Arianna Huffington to be openly worrying that the Obama administration just doesn't get it about the economy and jobs? Or how about Leslie Gelb, former New York Times columnist, State and Defense Department official and now president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations?

He's calling Obama's recent Asia trip an unproductive waste of precious presidential time under the headline: "Amateur Hour at the White House."

What's going on here for The One chosen barely a year ago with such widespread hope and....

...elation, despite Republican warnings that as a legislator he had never actually managed a candy store, let alone a massive federal government? Obama vowed then to listen to the world once again, but after the long Asia trip produced awkward bows (see above and also over here), nice photos and little else, analysts find little indication that the world is listening to him.

First, Afghanistan: Eight months after Obama announced his first new strategy there and nearly three months after the ground commander submitted his recommendations for more troops, warning that the allies had about one more year to win or lose this thing, the Democrat is still meeting and talking about what to do. Aides say he wants to be careful. Maybe we'll hear next week.

Cheney spoke on Monday to prominent conservative radio talk show host Scott Hennen about the Obama White House:

I worry that there's a lack of understanding there of what this [delay] means from the perspective of the troops. If you're out there on the line day in and day out and putting your life at risk on a voluntary basis for the nation and you see the commander-in-chief unable or appearing to be unable to make a decision about the way forward here, that raises serious doubts.

Nobody wants to volunteer to participate in that kind of operation.

There's more of that on this video, and Cheney also calls the Fort Hood shootings terrorism outright. But that's not the only....

...incoming fire the president is taking now. Here's a piece of what Huffington just posted:

"There's a Category 5 storm about to make landfall, and the president and the officials in charge of preparing for the approaching disaster don't seem to be particularly worried. Sound familiar?

"Just as Katrina exposed critical weaknesses in the priorities and competence of the Bush administration, the unfolding unemployment disaster is threatening to do the same for the Obama White House."

Now, here's Gelb, who's worked for Democratic presidents, writing on the Daily Beast:

The trip’s limited value per day of presidential effort suggests a disturbing amateurishness in managing America’s power.

On top of the inexcusably clumsy review of Afghan policy and the fumbling of Mideast negotiations, the message for Mr. Obama should be clear: He should stare hard at the skills of his foreign-policy team and, more so, at his own dominant role in decision-making. Something is awry somewhere, and he’s got to fix it...

...the Asia trip presented an important opportunity to carve out a new American leadership role in the world’s most dynamic economic region, and Mr. Obama missed it.

Other than that, it should be a good game.

-- Andrew Malcolm

Click here to get Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot. And we're also over here on Facebook.

Photo: Obama bows to China Premier Wen Jiabao. Credit: David Gray / Reuters

Comments

[Sandra]

Hahaha...I love Dick Cheney....no one does a smack down the he does.....he has such....'GRAVITAS'.....Oh MY!..hahahahaha.

I wish I could vote for him as the next President and watch how the terrorist pigs hurry back to the holes which they came out of...OH MY....what a sight that would be.

[BellaMia]

Obama has the paralysis of over-analysis. He doesn't actually possess any leadership abilities. He has over-promised and under delivered. Ever wonder why he voted "present" more than 100 times?

This is a political quagmire of epic proportions.

[bullwhacker]

Well now, can it be that there is a direct correlation between loving or hating your country and foreign policy? If you and everyone around you frowns on American exceptionalism, then how can you expect a good outcome? Fact is, foreign leaders are rapidly losing respect for our vapid leader.

[Tim]

I have to agree with the headline of this short piece of nonsense, except that I would title it "One or two media people join Dick Cheney's dithering amateurish critique."

[Treb Heining]

This President - this administration does not know how to lead. The word coming out today is that the President will finally announce his decision about sending more troops to Afghanistan. This long over due announcement is belittled by the emphasis on the exit strategy - read "how to surrender."
After months of hearing the President put down this country and apologize, I for one am longing to hear about winning - about how great this nation is - about how we can do anything we set our minds to. If I could sum it up in a short phrase, maybe it would be: Yes We Can
We need leadership, inspiration and positive thinking but it is nowhere to be found with this President or in the current administration.

[Calie Stephens]

The only amateurs I see here are Barack Obama and Andrew Malcolm. Dick Cheney is no amateur.

[FanDaElis]

Well, it seems people are catching up pretty quickly that all the warning about Obma was correct. A man with socialist ideas, who thinks government is the solution. It reminds of someone who said "government is the problem." The stimulus package, as we are learning, was completely geared towards growth of government, which does not grow anything positive except for waste, fraud and unemployment.

[FanDaElis]

My fellow American friends, have you caught up with the huge mistake it was electing this guy President? Bush was bad for the economy, but we elected a man who does worst than Bush. Bush was bad because of the spending, what did we do? We elected a man who thinks spending even more is the solution! What is happening? Things are getting worst! Incredible that we also hear democrats talking about raising taxes! My friends, can you see "rasing taxes" as a solution for the unemployment? Higher taxes translate into higher cost, which translates into less incentive to hire and to produce, which means more small businesses closing and more people loosing jobs! Like we heard one time: "big government is not the solution, it is the problem!" Now, we know that Obama ideas are socialists. I do not see him proposing any of the right solutions for the problems, at this point we need to stop his destructive policies and endure the consequences until we get him out of the office!

[Dante PA]

This is funny because the Huffington Post, LA times, etc. were all defending Obama's inexperience and greatness before the last election. Admit the mistake and shut down the attacks on others as you have got it wrong.

[Mary Brouder]

Mr. Dick Cheney is such a man of integrity. He would back the troops and not let them stand out there as obama is doing. Mr. Cheney would be such a great president. He's a very special and intelligent person who has compassion for the troops and their families and not a false allagory like the other guy.

[Jeff Rogers]

What a joke! Anyone who pays attention to the architect of torture needs to have his/her head examined. Seriously...

[Chet]

This is a destructive president who has created no jobs or anything good for america. All of his trips seems to accomplish nothing. He bows, apologizes, and almost shine shoes when in foreign countries. Obama can read good speeches and give false information, but he cannot think for himself or make leadership decisions. His lack of experience show the weakness in him.

[big moe]

Obama is not a leader and never will be.
Look at the crowd he hung with (Ayers, rev. Wright, etc) and its clear what the word "change" means to him. I wonder what state our country will be in at the end of his term. Its not going to be pretty.

[thekid]

This is the worst President at the worst time in history.

[valwayne]

Why would Obama grant a pardon to a Thanksgiving Turkey and pass up the opportunity to spend another $100 million in borrowed money, and show the world American Justice by giving the Turkey an OJ like Circus Trial in NYC? And if the Turkey gets acquited Obama won't have to guarantee the world that despite spending a hundreds of million showing American justice he will keep the Turkey locked up for the rest of his life regardless of the verdict. Yep, the Turkey trial makes a lot more sense than his Circus trials of the murdering terrorists that perpetrated 9/11!!!!

[AmericanGuy]

If you bad mouth your wife don't be surprised if your friends don't respect her. If you bad mouth your countrymen, other friendly countries won't respect us. Unfriendly countries will not only not respect us, but will treat us with disdain.

I may not be a community organizer, but I can figure that out.

[d johnson]

Amazing how Cheney can talk about the concern of troops when he and Bush put the troops over in unnecessary war in the first place. Typical american politics at work scare the people again like he really cares.

[Charles Finley]

Nearly all of these postings are in agreement with the thrust of the article -- Obama is an ineffective leader. The two posters who disagree with it choose to ignore Obama's performance as President and attack Cheney. This article can only be successfully refuted by defending Obama, but that appears to be mission impossible even for his supporters.