The Smartest and Most Spineless in the Room

In November of 2013, conservative Mark Steyn of the conservative National Review wrote contemptuously

Still, as historian Michael Beschloss pronouned the day after his election, he's "probably the smartest guy ever to become president." Naturally, Obama shares this assessment. As he assured us five years ago, "I know more about policies on  any particular issue than my policy directors."

In March, 2016 house conservative Niall Ferguson wrote in The Atlantic

It is a criticism I have heard from more than one person who has worked with President Obama that he regards himself as the smartest person in the room- any room. Jeffrey Goldberg's fascinating article reveals that this is a considerable understatement. The president seems to think he is the smartest person in the world, perhaps ever.

It always was a go-to criticism of Barack Obama by Republicans that the President believed he was "the smartest guy in the room."  It was a more diplomatic way of slamming a black man than to accuse him of being "arrogant," which appeared to be their real, unspoken criticism of him. From the right-wing Free Beacon (which, perhaps ironically, initially funded what became known as the Steele dossier):

Another incident critics cite is when Obama was still a Senator from Illinois and traveled to Iraq in 2007. General David Petraeus, then commanding U.S. forces for the war effort, gave Obama his assessment of the fight against al Qaeda and how to prosecute it. Obama disagreed with the general's analysis, arguing that Petraeus had it wrong.

the nerve to question a general? I think the word the Free Beacon was searching for was arrogant.

Funny thing is that Obama may have been the smartest guy in the room, though certainly not overly imbued with fearlessness. Last week, we learned

Former Vice President Kamala Harris was "very annoyed" with former President Barack Obama as she sought his endorsement to take former President Joe Biden's spot on the 2024 Democratic ticket, a new book claims.

"As the hours rolled by, and it became clear that she was well on her way to seizing the nomination by storm, Obama's opposition to her grew more confounding," authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes reported. "Harris was ‘very annoyed’ with him, according to a confidant. They had plenty of donors and political allies in common. The rest of the party threw in with her. Where was Obama?"

The book, published earlier this month, is titled "Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House" and details how Harris secured the support of key Democrats after Biden dropped out of the race. The authors revealed that Obama did not want Harris to run in Biden's place, because he felt she couldn't beat Trump.

In the discussion with MSNBC, Allen stated  "President Obama absolutely did not think that Joe Biden should continue, according to our sources close to President Obama."

The former President was correct on both counts. The incumbent President should not have run for re-election. It had been obvious for many months that Biden had lost something off his fastball and that voters would not forgive him as they would forgive opponent Donald Trump, who either physically or mentally (let alone ethically) not right. 

And Obama was right that Harris couldn't beat Trump. The then- Vice President wisely ran a campaign emphasizing her strengths and de-emphasizing her weaknesses. Nevertheless, she still didn't win because, ultimately, she was Kamala Harris.

Yet, if Barack Obama had been cast in The Wizard of Oz (fictionally set in the birthplace of his mother), he easily could have played the cowardly lion, albeit without the self-awareness. True to character:

However, Obama spoke with Harris over the next couple of days, according to the book, and he found he was in a position where "his actions against Biden and Harris could diminish him in the eyes of Democratic elites."

Well, that wasn't very bold. 

Still Obama, who as Senator dared to question the corrupt  David Petraeus, was encouraging a challenge to a candidate who herself thought the nomination was her divine right  His counsel- similar to that of James Carville- should have been embraced.

Instead, the Party fell in line with James Clyburn, who quickly endorsed Harris after Biden's exit in order to stave off any momentum for an open primary.  The four-year old Win With Black Women leveraged its influence.

The prescience and wisdom the courage. In an interview last week at Hamilton College in New York State, the former President stated

Imagine if I had pulled Fox News’ credentials from the White House press corps. You’re laughing, but this is what’s happening. Imagine if I had said to law firms that were representing parties that were upset with policies my administration had initiated, that you will not be allowed into government buildings.

We will punish you economically for dissenting from the Affordable Care Act or the Iran deal. We will ferret out students who protest against my policies. It’s unimaginable that the same parties that are silent now would have tolerated behavior like that from me, or a whole bunch of my predecessors.

I say this not on a partisan basis.

Of course, he didn't say it on a partisan basis. The name "Trump" never crossed his lips. He completely avoided the words "Trump" or "Donald Trump" or "President Trump." It was very Obama-esque.

It's a feat worth admiring. So, too, is Barack Obama's sense that betting on Kamala Harris was a lousy gamble. It's unfortunate that he wasn't bold enough to let more than a few people know at the time.

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