Nixon Called It "Wound Tighter Than A Tick"

John Dickerson argues that Newt Gingrich's explanation for his adultery shows that he acts out under pressure -- not what you want in a president.

Obama's Empathy Gap

John Dickerson on the president's seemingly bloodless appearance today:

[Obama] seemed to struggle in the press conference, as he has throughout his presidency, with those parts of his job that call on him to convey to people that he understands what they're going through. "You know, there is an inherent danger in being in the White House and being in the bubble," he said. "One of the challenges that we've got to think about is—is how do I meet my responsibilities here in the White House, which require a lot of—a lot of hours and a lot of work, but still have that opportunity to engage with the American people on a—on a day-to-day basis and know—give them confidence that I'm listening to them?"

He doesn't necessarily have to travel to send that message. One place he could have started was at Wednesday's press conference.

Obama Is The New Cheney

Republicans are lashing out at President Obama for telling Bob Woodward:

We can absorb a terrorist attack. We'll do everything we can to prevent it, but even a 9/11, even the biggest attack ever … we absorbed it and we are stronger.

And yet as John Dickerson writes, former VP Cheney said:

We have to assume there will be more attacks. And for the first time in our history, we will probably suffer more casualties here at home in America than will our troops overseas.

Obama Obscura

John Dickerson at "Slate" wonders why the President asked for a torture investigation earlier in the week when he now says he doesn't want one.

When Bipartisanship Becomes Inconvenient

John Dickerson:

With no penalty to be paid for dropping the pretense, Obama aides hope to push their luck by painting Republicans as either irrelevant or ridiculous. The equation is simple: The more clownish the opposition seems, the more the White House can get away with.

Welcome To Our Shoe

The courageous John Dickerson manages a kind word for the President, assaulted by a lunatic in a foreign country with not a Secret Service agent in sight:

Bush brushed off the incident, joking that he saw into his attacker's "sole," a reference to his famous misreading of Vladimir Putin. It's the kind of incident where Bush's no-big-deal attitude, so maddening in other contexts, serves him well. "It was just a bizarre moment," Bush told journalists later on Air Force One. "But I've had other bizarre moments in the presidency."...

At the very least, I suspect a spark of patriotism will kick in when some Americans watch the tape or see al-Zaidi heralded in the streets as a hero. Hey, you can't throw shoes at our president, they might say. Only we can throw shoes at our president. This may test Nixon's theory that presidents benefit from rough treatment by journalists.