First of all, literally no one has any expectations for this speech. No one.

Beyond that, and this may be my political naivete showing, isn’t the whole point of demanding the high drama of a nationally televised address to a joint session of Congress to … raise expectations? Everyone’s going to be watching as he finally rolls out the big plan! Except … he isn’t, it turns out. He’s only going to roll out part of it.

Seriously, I think this guy might be done.

Aides say Thursday’s speech will be part of a bigger plan the White House will roll out throughout the fall with the president hitting the road for speeches and town hall appearances. Aides have already confirmed that Obama will be traveling to California, Colorado, and Washington state for one three-day swing later this month that will include economic events as well as some fundraising.

The move could be a way to try and lower the stakes for Thursday’s Joint Session appearance, but it could also be an attempt by the administration to show the president is trying to stay all over the economy heading into what will likely be an uphill re-election battle.

“There’s no question the president will want to keep returning to jobs,” one top aide told Fox News. “I don’t want to downplay the speech [next week] — it’s going to be substantial. But the idea that this is the be-all and end-all is wrong.”One scenario being discussed by White House aides is the president highlighting individual economic proposals at appearances around the country throughout the fall, just as the Republican presidential candidates are ramping up the sales pitch for their own economic proposals.

Why doesn’t he just do the whole plan on Thursday so that Congress has something concrete to respond to? He can hit the road and highlight individual proposals later if he wants. I’m sure it’ll work. Just look at how successful that bus tour was.

To sum up the day thus far: He headed off to Camp David this morning without so much as a syllable about the disastrous new job numbers. Then his labor secretary actually said, and I quote, “I do feel like we’re going in the right direction.” And now, after two days of the left stamping its feet over Boehner’s insistence that the speech be postponed a day, the White House wants us to know that the speech is really no big deal after all. Translation: The famous orator and his team have finally run out of things to say. Like everyone else, the economy’s left him effectively speechless.

Via the Daily Caller, here’s Rick Santelli responding to the “this is because of the debt-ceiling standoff!” buck-passing.