On ABC's This Week program, the president's alleged lack of toughness was the first topic that George Stephanopoulos brought up with in his sitdown with White House advisor David Axelrod.
Showing the cover of the current National Journal as well as a skit that aired on Saturday Night Live, Stephanopoulous asked whether it's a fair question on the twin issues of the day (Afghanistan, where some on the right have said he is "dithering" on deciding on the strategy and troop strength there) and on health care (is he really for a public option? And if he is, why isn't he fighting for it)?
Axelrod sidestepped the question, but maybe the president is getting the message. In his Saturday radio/YouTube address, Obama went off in unusually strong terms (video after the jump) against the insurance industry, accusing it of using "deceptive and dishonest ads," and actually threatened to rid the industry of its exemption from federal antitrust laws.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2009.