Concern Trolling for Fun & Profit

Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman is worried about The Preznit’s prospects next year:

But there is good news for the president. I checked the Constitution, and he is under no compulsion to run for re-election. He can scrap the campaign, bag the fundraising calls and never watch another Republican debate as long as he’s willing to vacate the premises by Jan. 20, 2013.

Goodness! If such a staunch Obama partisan as Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman is recommending quitting—

Hold on, the Producer is screaming in our earwig. Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman is a conservative? Then why would Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman want Obama not to—

Ohhhhhhhhh.

Well, that might explain the rest of his advice:

Given Obama’s reputation for being too quick to compromise, a reputation for toughness would be an asset. As it happens, there is someone at hand who fits this description: Hillary Clinton.

Yes, yes, of course. And while we’re sharing, may we recommend Sarah Palin as the Republican nominee? She’d make a fantastic candidate, don’t you agree?

But we’re giving Chicago Tribune columnist Steve Chapman too much credit. It’s not his idea. Rather, it comes straight from the top:

On Sunday, former President Bill Clinton laughed off former Vice President Dick Cheney’s suggestion that Hillary Clinton should challenge President Barack Obama in 2012…

“But I also have a high regard for Vice President Cheney’s political skills, and I think one of those great skills is sowing discord among the opposition… And I think he, by saying something nice about her in the way that he did, knew that it might cause a little trouble,” Clinton continued.

Certainly it’s a way to distract attention from the trainwreck that is the Republican nomination process. But it also reveals a valuable insight: Republicans are scared shitless about their prospects against Barack Obama. So scared, their overriding fantasy is that Obama won’t run.

So please, keep up the advice. And give our Sarah Palin recommendation some thought. You know we only have your best interests at heart.

Why Obama should withdraw [Chicago Tribune]