President Obama

Ask anyone. I pride myself on being seldom surprised, shocked almost never.

2011, however, called my cool into question. I was nothing but shockingly surprised all year.

Take Barack Obama, particularly since the 2010 Congressional election or, as I like to call it, The Invasion of the Body Snatchers. I thought he’d be better.

Not that I didn’t have certain reservations about him from the beginning — his inexperience, for one thing. He’d never really run anything, let alone a government. But I thought he was smart as a whip and could figure it out.

I'm starting to worry about Barack Obama.

I didn't used to worry about him. I thought he was the best Democrat running in the 2008 primaries, and I thought he was far superior to John McCain in the general election. I still think that. (By the way, did you hear the latest on McCain? He blamed the forest fires consuming the southwest on undocumented immigrants. When he opens his mouth these days, you don't know whether to laugh or cry.)

Well, the Democrats are finally showing some fight. They’re fighting with each other, but it’s a start.

The fading Democratic majority in the House has balked at accepting President Barack Obama’s compromise with Republicans on the Bush tax cuts, which are set to expire with the New Year.

That’s the deal where Republicans get enormous tax cuts for the rich and the president gets a bag full of brightly colored beans.