"Don't go out too far ... suck in your gut a bit ... smile!"

"...we could certainly party with the Haitians. And in conclusion may I please remind you it does not say R.S.V.P. on the Statue of Liberty. Thank you very much." 

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Some East Coast Media-Influential Barack fans, such as author and magazine writer (Vanity Fair and newser.com) Michael Wolff, are jumping ship:

Barack Obama Is a Terrible Bore

Sheesh, the guy is Jimmy Carter.

That homespun bowling crap on Jay Leno, followed by the turgid, teachy fiscal policy lecture, together with the hurt defensiveness (and bad script for it) that everybody in Washington "is Simon Cowell… Everybody's got an opinion," is pure I’m-in-over-my-head stuff. Even the idea of having to go on Jay Leno to rescue yourself from the AIG mess is lame. Be a man, man.

The guy just doesn’t know what to say. He can’t connect. Emotions are here, he’s over there. He can’t get the words to match the situation.

This began, I’d argue, from the first moment. He punted on the inaugural. Everybody ran around like crazy trying to praise it because if Barack Obama couldn’t give a speech then what?

But now, at week 11, we’re face-to-face with the reality, the man can’t talk worth a damn.

You can see the fundamental mistake he’s making. Having been so successfully elected, he’s acting like people actually want to hear what he thinks. He’s the great earnest bore at the dinner party. Instead of singing for his supper, he’s just talking—and going on at length. The real job of making people part of the story you’re telling, of having them hang on your every word, of getting the tone and detail right, the hard job of holding a conversation, he ain’t doing.

He’s cold; he’s prickly; he’s uncomfortable; he’s not funny; and he’s getting awfully tedious.

He thinks it’s all about him. That we want him for himself—that he doesn’t have to seduce, charm, surprise, show some skin.
[...]
The true secret of the power of language is in quickness. Barack Obama can’t keep up. He evidently needs too much preparation. And then there’s the organization. He’s undoubtedly got too many people debating what he should say. That’s the other secret of language: You’ve got to just go for it. Can’t think too much about it. It’s like hitting the ball. And then there’s knowing who you want to be—which is different than knowing who you are. You’re on the stage. You’re acting. You’ve got to make yourself believable, cleverly make yourself up as you go along.

This guy is leaden and this show is in trouble.

Some of Wolff reminds of an addition to Wednesday's post:

Barack, via avoiding substance and attacking the messengers, displays lack of confidence in the strength of his own arguments.

[...]

That Barack fails to rebut with substance ... is an indication of weakness and lack of confidence -and is, frankly, amazing to me. [...] This is Barack at his weakest, most disengaged, and least relevant.

That Barack pairs his soft underbelly of illogical beliefs with the most fragile of glass jaws is not good. Churchill, he is not. Barack reeks of weakness, immaturity, and intellectual disengagement. These odors emanate from him in waves. Our enemies are onto the scent - and the kicking hooves of Barack's defenders do not target America's enemies.

For the targeting of American enemies who stumble into Jacksonville, FL, we must rely on the Cassy Fianos of the world 

[Cassy Fiano works without a teleprompter - who do you REALLY want protecting you?]:

Update: Piling On Which Seems Relevant

Michelle Malkin:

Why Can't Obama Tell a Good Joke?

E-G-O.
[...]
To laugh at yourself, you have to really be laughing at yourself, not engaging in coy self-aggrandizement.

J.P. Freire illuminated the root of Obama’s humor-challengedness last fall:
Good read.

Freire breaks Obama’s “jokes” into two categories: “I’m Great” and “I’m Only Pretty Great.”
[...]
Doug Gamble [remembers Ronald Reagan's humor]:

“I’ve given my aides instructions that if trouble breaks out in any of the world’s hot spots they should wake me up immediately — even if I’m in a Cabinet meeting.”