Still waiting for Superman

It's too early to gauge America's reaction to President Obama's speech. But we're clearly having one of those Aaron Sorkin West Wing moments in the media. Time's Joe Klein perfectly captures the mindset of the left-leaning, elite politicos: "The President gave a fine speech Thursday night. ... He made no absurd promises. He recognized the difficulty of our situation. He acknowledged mistakes. But he did not close the deal. The speech disappointed me, and I’m not quite sure why. ... [perhaps] it’s not too wise to dream big anymore. ... But I want more from him, more guidance, more leadership." Amazing. What more can Obama possibly say or do? I presumed the media had finally gotten past its Messiah Complex, the notion that Obama is Superman. Evidently not. Obama wanted neither the spandex nor the cape. But at the media's relentless urgings in 2008, America insisted that he wear them anyway. After obsessively hyping Hillary, the new narrative became: Obama is "The One." Obama has always argued that the election was never about him. "It's about you," he has said repeatedly. But it fell on deaf ears in 2008 and is doing so again today. Ergo, he's paying the price for impossible expectations. Granted, I could be misreading this. Media opinion could in fact mirror America's. But I'm betting it doesn't.