Obama has trotted out the communication excuse before, and it makes no more sense this time. Most important, his minor concession to imperfection reveals he is unwilling or unable to grasp the facts of the economic crisis and his responsibility to fix it.

So we get navel gazing that would be considered indulgent even in the faculty lounge. In the Oval Office, with 23 million Americans out of work or underemployed, it constitutes evidence of malpractice on a grand scale.

Worst of all, his ignorance is willful. Starting with key gubernatorial races in 2009, every major election since he took office has repudiated Obama’s policies. The GOP landslide in 2010 was historic in size, as was the sweep in statehouses across the country.