Critics galore ...

In recent days, people on the left and the right have been coming out of the woodwork with advice galore for the administration. Obama has found friends in strange places. First, we have David Brooks expressing hope in Obama's Afghanistan strategy and declaring it a winnable war. This view gets support from Rachel Maddow at the other end of the spectrum. In her recent TV spot, she talked it up so much, it seemed like she was trying to sell it to herself.

Then we have Krugman declaring emphatically that Summers and the Obama team aren't taking the true lesson of the current mess - i.e. a fundamental repudiation of the market mystique.

Meanwhile, we have Michael Gerson defending Obama's use of the teleprompter, pointing out that a leader's attempt to express himself with precision is not a sign of a lack of genuineness, and neither is a politician's attempt to wing it anything but shallowness.

Michael Gerson's article I wholeheartedly agree with. The idea that a leader who thinks through what he or she is about to see is somehow less of a leader for relying on a script is laughable. It would be different if the assumption was that Obama wasn't intellectually able, but even his critics have to acknowledge his intellectual prowess.

On the war, I am less sanguine than these more upbeat assessments. Afghanistan is definitely where the US should focus, but remember that this is the region that handed the British and the Soviets their defeats. A protracted engagement in Afghanistan could be worse than both Iraq and Vietnam. Furthermore, wars are and always been massively draining on the national coffers. So, I would be more cautious in singing Obama's praise. The question in my mind is whether he can stay focused on achievable goals, or whether he will get distracted by idealistic fervour. As long as he is pragmatic, it should be fine.

Finally, on Krugman and the economy. I know that Krugman is not happy about the market mystique dominating. True market's need regulation. However, you have to only look at highly regulated markets around the world to realise that enabling the heavy hand of government is a cure that may be worse than the disease it attempts to cure. So, am I unhappy about Obama's hesitance? No. In fact, I am more concerned that he may be tempted to allow many of the more radical ideas proposed by Congress to pass. The question is whether he will be able to stand up to a Congress dominated by his own party, while still building consensus for his agenda. My guess - doubtful!