Obama: 'Nothing succeeds like success in this town.'

You can see it in his step. Also in his eyes.

Sometime after winning what Vice President Biden called a "big ... deal" victory on healthcare, Barack Obama embraced the presidency with a new vigor, almost as if he understood that his time in office was finite. Fourteen months into his administration, newly empowered by a historic achievement that had eluded past presidents, Obama has grabbed the power that comes with the job.

In international affairs, he has turned from wowing global audiences to laying down the law to foreign leaders in one-on-one meetings. He told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to freeze Jewish settlements in East Jerusalem. He told Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai that corruption is undermining his government and endangering U.S. troops.

At home, he has signaled that he has no plans to pocket his victory and revel in its shine. In interviews and actions, he is making clear that he intends to spend the bounce he got from healthcare to tackle other difficult political issues such as immigration, education and financial reform. Reagan White House Communications Director Pat Buchanan, would no doubt agree. He once told me in an interview that political capital is like financial capital -- if you don't invest it, you tend to lose it.

The healthcare victory also seems to have increased Obama's appreciation for his predecessors, George W. Bush included. “Having sat in the Oval Office as president, I am much more sympathetic to all presidents generally,” Obama told NBC’s Matt Lauer in a wide-ranging interview that aired Tuesday. “What is true is that there are big, tough decisions that you make, and you know that unless you try to avoid those problems, whatever you decide is going to make some people happy and some people unhappy.”

Mostly, he is expressing confidence about taking the reins of power, telling Lauer that he will succeed "If we can demonstrate as an administration, that regardless of what the everyday news cycle is showing ... it's possible to stick to your convictions."

After all, he added, "Nothing succeeds like success in this town.''

-- Johanna Neuman

Photo: President Obama returns to Washington Monday from a surprise trip to Afghanistan. Credit: Reuters

Click here to receive Twitter alerts of each new Ticket item. Or follow us @latimestot or twitter.com/johannaneuman. And our Facebook FAN page is right here.

Comments

[Scott]

And nothing about jobs. Like he cares anyways, more people on government assistance is what they want anyways.

[Tex Geoas]

Most liberals... mostly those that have never watched... think FOX is conservative. It is not. What FOX does is present TWO or more sides of an issue. That's something that liberals are simply uncomfortable with. It seems radical right to liberals because they have not experienced it before. We have TWO political parties... both must be heard if America is to stay healthy. While ABC, CBS, NBC, and CNN are spewing lefty propaganda (easily documented), FOX News is presenting both sides of issues and letting the viewers decide. Any news organization can do this... they just chose not to... and the public is on to them. American's will no longer swallow propaganda... not even from Oprah!

To prove this... you can watch CNN disappear before your eyes.

[Get with the program]

In his talks with Netanyahu and Karzai,the only thing Obama did was to Parrot
GWB.Sending Biden to Israel eliminated much of the credibility left in his
leadership not only in Israel but in the major European capitals. Many are
asking Obama to not impose a Biden visit on them as the risk is high they will
be dragued in a negative political maelstrom following unpredictable gaffes
that Biden has become so famous for.
Bounce from passing health care....that went over like a lead baloon ?
Hey 54 % of Americans want that f&*(#ing thing repealed.Stop parroting Madow !
Watch fox and become more balanced.

[Liz]

I saw the headline and the "look in his eye" remark and I knew who had written this -- the person who idolizes Barack Obama and lets it shine through her writing every darn day of the week.

Have you heard of impartiality, at all? Or is fawning accepted at the LA Times?

[Liz]

Plus, that "bounce?" It's gone. Or hadn't you noticed?

[fvfdgm1]

And just what "bump" did you see?? I saw a short overnight hiccup & now back to where he was before .... in the negative! People will remember that politicians in DC have forgotten about the American citizen! Success is in the eye of the beholder. The Pres signed a bill into law but he is still trying to "sell" it to those of us who will be affected by it. They carved themselves a way out as well as their staffers. I want my tax $$$ back. I got a 2% increase this year while the staffers in DC got double digit %age increases.

[Nothing is succeeding !]

Failed to stimulate the economy and create jobs !Failed in his Israel policy.
Failed to stop Iran.Failed in Copenhagen.Failed to control Biden and Emanuel.
And the public is failing him big time on his partisan health care monstrosity.
Is succeeding in hypnotizing naive and credulous reporters and pseudo journalists with the shine in his eyes and his nice step.