By Regina Sztajer

If it wasn’t so stressful it would be a great Washington soap opera to watch in living color. We are down to the wire on Obama health reform and my nerves are rattled and so are every American’s who have common sense. President Barack Obama took an absolutely wonderful presidency handed to him and ruined it. He has associated himself with a bunch of radicals pushing his progressive agenda. We should have listened to Joe the plumber. Well I did! Just who is running the White House anyway? Rahm Emanuel the White House chief of staff, the White House chief strategist David Axelrod or Obama? It’s Obama that is responsible for the current state of his presidency not his two top aides.

The Democrats are running from him like the plague because he has failed to enact sweeping changes, including a historic healthcare reform and the country is in severe debt with unbelievable unemployment numbers. Emanuel is actually a foe of progressive policy moves that don’t have immediate results. After all he believes you can’t waste a good crisis. He has become the scapegoat for the liberals. Did Obama listen enough to Emanuel in the first year? Is that why health care is hanging on a limb?

Now the soap opera continues in Washington with Emanuel the pragmatist vs Axelrod the ideologue!! Both say there isn’t a problem between them. Is that why the backbitting continues? Who is missing from the picture? Obama! People make policy and Obama appears as a smart guy who is capable of making his own tough calls. They both share Obama’s presidential functions and can do it well or poorly. They may have failed in their jobs but the buck stops with the president who is responsible for shaping his own role in the drama.
Attorney General Eric Holder made the decision to try Khalid Sheik Mohammed in New York City civilian court and that created political problems for the administration. Axlerod may have backed Holder but the final decision was with Obama. It doesn’t matter who is pushing and idea through in the White House but it only matters who makes the final decision. Therefore, in this soap opera Obama is the matinee idol.
Poor Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House of Representatives is looking so unhappy these days. Get out the bottle of Prosac because she needs it. She hasn’t heard the word NO used so much. Her authority is waning with revolts from the Democratic Blue Dog Coalition, the Ways and Means Committee and politically vulnerable first and second term members. It’s every man or women for themselves!!!!
She has always had a firm hand in the past on Democratic leaders with who she could wield power but her inability to dictate to Rep. Charles Rangel to resign his Ways and Means Committee chairmanship played poorly for her. She made an 180 degree turn on Rangel after the ethics committee admonished him for breaking House gift rules. First she made a public statement she stood by Rangel until the committee made a decision but Democrats sent a message to her to dump Rangel or they would be voting with the Republicans to strip him of his chairmanship. She has kept small fires from spreading but dynamics are chipping away at her and she may not be able to put out a roaring blaze in the fall elections. She may be losing her grip on the House because she never ruled with an iron fist or had the capacity to issue orders. Rather she has always talked her way out to avoid a toxic situation. Democrats have always felt she was on their side but even some of her allies have bucked her in recent weeks.