Another Stupid Prediction From David Brooks

Maybe Obama can pull this off, but I have my worries. By this time next year, he’ll either be a great president or a broken one.
............David Brooks

Either of those is possible of course, but neither is especially likely. How would Brooks have evaluated Lincoln after his first year?

More likely is a third possibility. After one very challenging year, Obama will probably have a few obvious successes, a few obvious failures, and a potload of issues hanging fire. How he deals with the latter two will determine the fate of his Presidency.

Despite the epic failure of 9/11, George Bush was not yet a failed president after his first year. It was his persistence in his error and failure to change course that turned it into a disaster.

The greatest Presidents, especially Lincoln, had terrible failures. Their greatness emerged from their ability to recognize and get beyond those failures.

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