The President Is Running Out of Time

Scandal upon scandal accumulates around Barack Obama and a power vacuum threatens. Has he learned from the experiences of his first term?

Has Barack Obama run out of time just four months after the start of his second term? It would be a nightmare for America and its allies if the superpower became crippled with three years and eight months to go before a new election. In Syria, Iran, Israel, Palestine and Korea, it could mean the difference between war or peace and life or death.

The United States is also at a crossroads domestically. Will Obama be able to continue on his slow but steady search for financial reform and debt reduction? Or will the nation be caught up in partisan political blockades? That shadow hangs over his coming visit to Berlin as well: Will he arrive looking like a glittering hero or will he be seen here as a lame duck?

The allegations that threaten him are complicated — so complicated that even many Americans find it hard to make up their minds.

It has yet to be established who is to blame and who is the victim. Is the White House responsible for the deaths of four U.S. diplomats in Benghazi or is it just a scandal invented by Republicans? Is the Obama administration to blame for exclusively singling out the tax exempt status of conservative groups and denying them because they are essentially political activities? And was the collecting of journalists’ telephone records an attack on freedom of the press or an appropriate measure taken to prevent possible treason?

Are the Accusations Leveled against Obama Valid?

The tricky part for Obama is that it hardly matters whether the accusations are justified or not. It will require weeks before the details are known and no one is allowing him that time. Appearances now determine whether people see him as the perpetrator or the victim. The same applies to foreign policy matters such as the deployment of chemical weapons by the Syrian government and whether or not the U.S. should get involved in the fighting there. But there’s not enough time for that either. Obama looks weak as long as he remains passively disengaged while the murder and gutting of the rebel forces continue.

Obama has to get engaged in order to change the dynamics of the situation. He has fired the IRS director and has promised legislation designed to increase protections for journalists and their sources. He has ratcheted up the rhetoric on the Syrian issue — which, by the way, is the greatest temptation faced by presidents in these situations: Send in the troops in order to reestablish the image of strength.

The IRS Scandal Will Continue to Put Pressure on Obama

Just weeks ago, the U.S. media was praising Obama’s strength. He forced the Republicans to retreat on the budget, on taxes and on debt reduction. He also forced his immigration reform bill to the foreground. But now they’re witnessing the president in free fall. Theoretically, perceptions can change just as quickly back in his favor, but it’s dependent on how he responds.

And the lessons of 2010 still loom large. Obama had accomplished a great deal — health care and financial reforms as well as a weapons agreement with Russia. But then a tea party mobilization campaign forced him to play defense; it took him over a year to get back on offense. Did he learn anything from that? Another power vacuum of that magnitude could have frightening consequences now.