Obama officials dragging the President down

Investors and Wall St are making clear their contempt for Mr. Obama's $1.2 trillion bailout of banks. The Dow is down 15% since inauguration day and although it is reasonable to claim this economic crisis was inherited; the markets are now dropping further every time an Obama official makes a public statement. Inheritance can't be blamed for that.

The gang of egg-heads that President Obama has surrounded himself with are showing all the measured resolve of a deer in the headlights; and the nation is starting to panic. Mr. Obama's first seven weeks in office have been substantially eclipsed by a series of awkward and unfortunate blunders - which sadly has put his well publicized poise and prestige to the test. Only seven weeks in...and already there is widespread talk about him being unable to walk the walk and being a single termer. The disorganized and undeserving Republicans must be rubbing their hands with glee.

First came the stimulus package, which should have been a clearly focused parcel of initiatives aimed at only one thing - combating the economic meltdown. But instead what we got was a bloated potato sack full or earmarked programs which will surely be the shame of House Democrats for a long time to come.

Next came Mrs. Clinton's gaff burdened trip through Europe. If we believe that the rate at which a politician matures is directly proportional to the embarrassment they can tolerate, then Mrs. Clinton is maturing nicely - leaving behind a string of fumbled Russian translations, mispronounced names, incorrect historical assertions, and diplomatic faux pas. The foreign policy-watching public are definitely nervous.

Then comes Mr. Geithner and Mr. Orszag onto the scene. These two youthful looking economic whiz kids instilled about as much confidence in me as they did in Wall St, with their timid half-measures to restructure debt-laden banks and their discerningly unstated descriptions of how these measures will lead to economic recovery.

And who will put their hand up to claim responsibility for advising Mr. Obama on matters of protocol associated with the ill-fated visit of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. What a clumsy fiasco that was - with all the pomp and ceremony of an unexpected visit from your mother-in-law. Alliances have been tested for less.

Let me finish by stating this is not an Obama beat-up; and criticizing the performance of the Administration should not be misconstrued as such; but if Mr. Obama doesn't get his staff performing like professional politicians they will be his undoing. And looking at who is waiting in the wings to take his place fills me with little enough confidence to genuinely wish Mr. Obama well!!