Sully beclowns himself

Here's Andy in full-on worship mode:

"I want a president who can acknowledge error, is not cocooned, can speak publicly about this, and is unafraid of self-criticism. Isn't that why so many of us supported him in the first place?"

This assessment comes from the very same NY Times article that presented the following illustrations of the President. "Can acknowledge error?"

That's a refrain heard inside the White House as well: it’s a communication problem. The first refuge of any politician in trouble is that it’s a communication problem, not a policy problem. If only I explained what I was doing better, the people would be more supportive. Which roughly translates to If only you people paid attention, you wouldn’t be kicking me upside the head.

"Not cocooned?"

Insulation is a curse of every president, but more than any president since Jimmy Carter, Obama comes across as an introvert, someone who finds extended contact with groups of people outside his immediate circle to be draining.

While Clinton made late-night phone calls around Washington to vent or seek advice, Obama rarely reaches outside the tight group of advisers like Emanuel, Axelrod, Rouse, Messina, Plouffe, Gibbs and Jarrett, as well as a handful of personal friends. “He’s opaque even to us,” an aide told me. "Except maybe for a few people in the inner circle, he’s a closed book."

"Unafraid of self-criticism?"

But save the planet? If you promise to save the planet, might people think you would, you know, actually save the planet? He laughed, before shifting back to hope and inspiration. "I make no apologies for having set high expectations for myself and for the country, because I think we can meet those expectations," he said. "Now, the one thing that I will say - which I anticipated and can be tough - is the fact that in a big, messy democracy like this, everything takes time. And we’re not a culture that’s built on patience."

Lead on, Captain Awesome!

Extra - More from Commentary, Pajamas Media, and Ace who also notes Obama's penetrating "self-criticism."

More - From Krauthammer.