Put yourself in Obama’s shoes for a moment. You’ve just had a 90-minute “Emperor has no clothes” ordeal in front of the whole world. Everybody’s been laughing at you ever since. Your brilliant campaign made it even worse by seizing on your opponent’s offhand remark about a giant puppet and then talking about nothing else for a week and a half.
You screwed up. As usual. Except this time, you didn’t have anybody to cover for you. It was all you up there. Unfortunately.
How do you make it all better? Like this. WaPo reports from Williamsburg, VA:
President Obama hunkered down at a golf resort here for the weekend to prepare for the next debate, which his own campaign acknowledges is critically important to stopping the momentum of Republican Mitt Romney…
The preparations in Williamsburg have taken on an urgency in the aftermath of Obama’s seemingly lethargic performance in that debate, which was widely panned and prompted a surge for Romney in numerous national and swing-state polls…
Obama arrived at Kingsmill Resort on Saturday morning, and he will remain until Tuesday before flying to Long Island to appear in the second of three televised debates with Romney. Obama is spending time each day preparing with his team, both studying and practicing, according to the campaign. He was “excited” to get out of Washington, according to one campaign adviser speaking on condition of anonymity.
(If getting out of Washington excites him, then I’ve got great news.)
The team is largely the same as the one that helped him in Nevada: Axelrod, senior White House adviser David Plouffe, longtime adviser Anita Dunn, Sen. John Kerry (Mass.) and Washington lawyer and longtime Democratic debate coach Bob Barnett…
Obama’s debate preparations are taking place in the main building at Kingsmill, a sprawling golf resort along the James River featuring guest rooms and suites in free-standing villas that dot the golf course. Kerry was spotted early Sunday with a massive binder filled with color-coded spacers, and Axlerod was seen talking on his cell phone on the grounds…
During his stop at the campaign office, Obama was asked by the reporters following him how debate preparations are going, and he replied: “It’s going great!”
Didn’t he say the same thing before the first one? Well, it’s good to see he’s got the same team prepping him for it. John Kerry brings good luck wherever he goes, doesn’t he? Guess Carter and Dukakis were busy.
Maybe Obama realizes that no matter how much debate prep he does, it’s not going to matter because he has very few ideas and they’re all bad ones. Maybe Biden’s bizarre, alienating performance last week finally shattered his spirit. Maybe he’s just trying to enjoy the perks of being president while he still can.
Don’t worry, champ. Just a couple more of these and it’ll all be over.
(Hat tip: Jim Geraghty)