BRITS GET THE PICTURE - AT 7:34 A.M. ET:  We've said here before that British reporters in Washington often do very fine work in dissecting American politics.  Here, Tim Reid of The Times of London proves the point, providing an excellent analysis of President Obama's deep dilemma:

It is only eight months since he was sworn in on a January morning filled with hope and optimism, but the noise and fury surrounding the healthcare debate today are danger signs for Mr Obama’s presidency.

And...

The polls indicate that he is in danger of losing the electorally vital centre: the elderly, independents and suburban women — critical swing voters — are deserting him.

There are two fundamental reasons for his troubles: the economy — unemployment continues to rise — and signs that Mr Obama might have overinterpreted his mandate.

Yeah, really overinterpreted it - by a country mile.

When he took office Mr Obama and his aides made myriad comparisons with Franklin D. Roosevelt and his New Deal. Yet in 1932 Roosevelt won 42 of 48 states. Last year Mr Obama won 28 but, believing that the scale of the recession compelled him to act boldly, he announced a domestic agenda of staggering ambition, with healthcare as its cornerstone.

He has been telling the public that he can expand coverage and cut healthcare costs at the same time. The independent Congressional Budget Office has contradicted that assertion and an increasing number of voters are skeptical.

And health care isn't, by any means, the only problem Mr. Obama faces:

When Congress reconvenes in September, however, there will be other problems.

Mr Obama will have three months to honour his pledge to close the Guantánamo Bay detention centre; the death toll in Afghanistan will probably still be climbing; and he must also decide whether to get tough with Iran over its nuclear programme.

Winning an election is one thing. Governing, as Mr Obama has discovered, is tougher.

COMMENT:  I have to believe that foreign ministries, despite their trendy penchant for America-bashing and Obama-loving, are privately appalled by the Obama administration, especially its drift and indecision in foreign affairs.  It's pretty clear that many foreign journalists, who earlier may have bought into the president-as-messiah message, are revising their copy. 

We've said before at Urgent Agenda that Autumn will be politically hot.  We stand by that statement.

August 20, 2009