There is plenty of time for the president to take responsibility and rectify his perceived leadership deficit. It is true that he does not have a rubber stamp; the House of Representatives is certainly opposed to many of his initiatives. But that makes leadership at the top all the more important. Great leaders negotiate and own the consequences.

The Republicans represent a mainstream position that many Americans support, not an extremist fringe that a decent leader would vilify. In the budget and debt-limit fights of the coming weeks, Obama can show a leader’s courage to take ideas from the opposition — such as delaying implementation of the Affordable Care Act — and forge agreement with enough Republicans to produce a deal.

There is a lesson here for Republicans as well. Virtually every poll finds little public confidence in the GOP and even lower favorability toward Republicans in Congress than for Democrats. This is hardly a recipe for political resurgence. A strategy of fighting against things — instead of fighting for people — and simply blaming Obama for the current stalemate would lead the GOP into the same trap into which the president has fallen.

Ultimately, though, responsibility falls to the boss. So what is the likelihood Obama will step up at this crucial moment as a responsible chief executive?