A reader writes:
Your repetition of the claim that Obama "punted" on tax reform is probably right. But as a football fan, I have to say: I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing.
No one likes punting. It isn't aggressive and it isn't showy. But you do it when you know you have the long-term advantage, when you're backed up into territory you don't want to be in and need to flip the field. It gives you a chance to change the dynamic of the competition while you regroup and tweak your strategy. If you do things right in the interim, eventually you've manipulated the field position in a way that sets you up to score. What sounds more Obama than that?
He's constrained by 2012: by the noise of the Republican nomination, by congressional focus on their reelection, and yes, by his ambition for his own. The speech last night was a statement of what he can and will do given the current reality. But I don't think you can give up on him reaching the endzone eventually.
As you're so fond of saying, "Meep meep."
The Dish 