The "Excuse Me" President

Bret Stephens gives us a little history lesson.

In 1997 Asia's economy imploded. Currencies collapsed, countries had their ratings downgraded to junk, millions of people lost their jobs, governments were replaced, regimes fell. In October a jittery Dow, fearing the effects of "Asian contagion," lost 7.2% of its value in a single day. Trading had to be halted twice.
And yet the American economy was unscathed. In 1997 GDP grew by 4.5%. In 1998 it grew again by 4.5%, this time despite the Russian ruble crisis. In 1999, annual growth reached 4.9%, a pace it hasn't exceeded since. Unemployment fell to 4.2%. The government ran a surplus.
Bear this not-so-ancient history in mind as the Excuse-Maker-in-Chief cites another imploding region to explain 1.9% growth and 8.2% unemployment. "Right now, one concern is Europe, which faces a threat of renewed recession," Mr. Obama said Friday, rehashing one of his preferred economic alibis. 

And if not Europe, it's Republicans in Congress' fault?

 Again, a little history is in order. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 passed the Senate 58-33 in an evenly split chamber. Bill Clinton managed to do business with a GOP that controlled both houses of Congress for six of his eight years in office. Ronald Reagan passed all of his economic agenda through a House that was under constant Democratic control.
Somehow it is only Barack Obama—whose party, in an inconvenient truth for his campaign, still runs the Senate—who seems incapable of working with any Congress not under full partisan control. (And even then he had trouble.) Americans expect their presidents to be able to assemble coalitions of the politically willing in order to achieve pragmatic and relatively popular results. The Obama administration method, by contrast, has been to shove what it can down the public throat, then act surprised when the public gags, or throws up.

And if not Congress, its ...

. ...bankers, bondholders, private-equity firms, insurance companies, energy companies, ATMs, the Chamber of Commerce, the Catholic Church, opponents of illegal immigration, European politicians, Supreme Court justices and even Japanese tsunamis. Next, perhaps, it will be solar flares.

Yes!  Solar flares are to blame.  Because President "I can do this job" is in the White House, telling David Axlerod:   

“The weird thing is, I know I can do this job. I like dealing with complicated issues. I’m happy to make decisions.…I think it’s going to be an easier adjustment for me than the campaign. Much easier."

What kind of man running for President has to reassure his chief lieutenant that he is up to the job?  That the job is easier than campaigning?  What kind of country would elect him?