David Schuster Sums Up Everything That's Wrong With Our Obsequious President.

David Schuster, in a colloquy with Keith on the June 24, 2011, edition of "Countdown," pretty well summed up everything about this president that has been driving those of us on the left C-R-A-Z-Y. At least now we know that even Congressional Democrats are fed up with Barack Obama's always playing nice to people who constantly pull every dirtry trick in the book on him.

They use the term, "adult in the room," to describe the president's chosen approach to dealing with dirt bags. I regard that term as woefully inadequate to accurately describe the president's non stop capitulation to the GOOP's unreasonable demands.

In my mind, it's more like a street fight in which one participant boxes with strict adherence to the Marques of Queensbury Rules while his adversary uses brass knuckles, knives, and anything else he can find to cheat with. I wonder who ordinarily wins fights like this?

So, what follows is reasonably close to a verbatim rendition of last week's conversation between Keith and David. And, BTW, it's really great to have both of them back on the air even though Keith can't resist getting in digs at Chris Matthews at every opportunity....

David: “Part of the problem is that the Democratic caucus is infuriated because they see the president and Max Baucus essentially being the grownups in the room, saying, “Yes, we will be willing to put Social Security cuts, Medicare cuts, and Medicaid cuts on the table if Republicans will be willing to put tax changes on the table.

But now there’s Eric Cantor behaving like a two-year old, and a lot of Democrats are mad that there’s been no discipline; there’s been no punishment for Cantor walking out of the talks. And there’s a lot of anger in the Democratic caucus that the White House is trying to be grown up and, they believe, trying to talk rationally to people who are acting like children in terms of the Republican caucus.

“This has given Democrats essentially the opportunity to whack Republicans, to say they’re not being serious; that, if Republicans are willing to let the economy go into the ditch, and they don’t care, and Republicans only care about tax cuts for the rich, and they’re willing to wreck the economy for them.... The Democrats were very much on message on this talking point today.

Keith: “Senator Demint threatened his fellow Republicans today, saying, ‘vote for no compromise or start looking for another job.’ Is there any indication that the Democrats are willing to play a similar brand of hardball?”

[Ed.'s Note: You have to give Sen. Demented at least some credit. After all, he's the first GOOP who has done anything to create jobs this year.]

David: “There is. If you listen to people on the hill, they are eager for the White House to use the bully pulpit of the presidency to deliver a speech to the nation and say, ‘You know what? This raising the debt ceiling - it’s not about Medicare; it’s not about Social Security; it’s not about tax relief. It’s about protecting the economy or sending the economy into a tailspin. It’s that simple. And either the Republicans stand for protecting the economy, or they want to damage it.

“The Democrats believe that, at a certain point, the president can remove the side issues and make it that simple. He can go before the American people, deliver speech after speech, and use the bully pulpit of the White House to essentially beat up the Republicans, beat them into submission.

[Ed. Note: Didn't the President and the First lady recently campaign against bullying? Apparently, his aversion to this conduct also extends to his use of the bully pulpit.]

“But the president hasn’t been willing to do that. He’s still trying to be the grownup in the room. Nevertheless, this card can still be played, and it’s one that a lot of Democrats are eager for the White House to put on the table. “

Keith: “At what point though does this get hammered home to the president?”

David: “That where there’s a lot of nervousness, Keith. There are a lot of Democrats and a lot of progressives who are concerned that this is a president who, time and again, issue after issue, has not shown the stomach to play the sort of hardball politics, bare knuckle politics that, say, George W. Bush was willing to play or Bill Clinton was willing to play. That this is not a president who likes to bring the hammer down. He doesn’t want to be the guy who’s being tough, who’s saying, ‘We’re going to do it my way or else we’re going to beat the hell out of you. That’s not his style, and yet there are a lot of Democrats who like to say that, at a certain point, when the president is up against Republicans who are playing dirty politics, the president can NOT be the adult in the room. He’s got to show that he can be respected; that he can fight just as hard, stand just as hard for his principles as Republicans are trying to stand for theirs.”

I'm not holding my breath. IMHO, by repeatedly capitulating to the scumbags and goofballs on the right, Barack Obama is just as responsible for ruining this country as they are.