He’s been described as acting like a bystander to his own presidency, but it’s more like he’s a victim of it, as though the presidency were this terrible thing that just happened to him one day that he’s now courageously dealing with.

His demeanor is that of a man who has been diagnosed with cancer who puts on a brave face, gets up every morning, and reiterates his determination to “beat this thing.” (Not that I don’t think the presidency is a cancer, but that’s a point for a different post.)

It’s a remarkable talent he has. When he was getting beat up politically for his association with that goofy racist clergyman, he lectured us on the evils of racism, as though we’d been the ones sitting in on those hateful sermons.