It was the best of times for conservatives, it was the worst of times for the Obama White House, it was the age of wisdom for critics of the president’s agenda, it was the age of foolishness for young and dashing idealists who thought they knew what was best, it was the epoch of belief — or disbelief — as it were over the new third rail of Washington politics, it was the epoch of incredulity at the Democrats’ naive attempts to silence opposition and ignorance of public opinion, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the summer of hope, it was the summer of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all going direct to a new, more moral, more “socially just” America, we were all going direct to government-sponsored death panels–in short, the period was so far like the summer of 1993, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.

And so begins the tale of Barack Obama’s summer…

For a president who entered office with such promise, such hope, so much changed during the hard and hot Washington summer months. What began as a summer full of optimism — talks of progress and of bipartisanship and of reform — ended not with a bang but with a reset speech.

It was as if the president’s 3AM phone call on health care reform had gone straight to the answering machine. As the debate swirled and spiraled out of control, the nation’s Number One sat idle as an incoherent and disheveled Congress scrambled to legislate a vague and abstractly fearsome proposal on health care reform. In doing so, Obama hedged his bets by handing over the keys to his legislative prized possession–health care reform–to Congress…the most unpopular Congress in a quarter-century. Let’s just say there wasn’t even a mission to accomplish.

What President Obama in his inaction intended was to stay above the fray, apart from the squabble. Instead, the lack of direction surrounding a comprehensive reform package fomented widespread confusion (or as the White House would call it, “misinformation.”) Instead, the president through his negligence to lead awakened the sleeping giant of grassroots American political activism.

The Washington spin doctors attempted to label the ordinary Americans who rose up to voice their opinions in record numbers as “AstroTurf.” “Nazis.” They were nothing of the kind, yet they were unique in that for the first time in over a generation, the conservative movement has proven a well-endowed equal to its liberal counterpart on the protest scene. Don’t expect this newfound political voice to go away anytime soon.

Democrats, meanwhile, floundered about like fish out of water, ignoring the lessons supposedly learned from 1993-94 and turning the guns upon their own party members. “Blue Dog” conservative Democrats, concerned over the costs of the president’s ambitious health care agenda, confronted the Pelosi progressives on the issue of a government option system as Republicans, united in opposition, fired from all sides.

In short, it was a season of political mayhem. It was an unexpected boost in support for some; a precipitous fall in poll numbers for others. It was “Real World: America” for the right; for the left, it was like “Meet the Press” without Tim Russert. It was a blessing, yes; but, boy, was it a boondoggle.

And it is over.

Thus did the summer of two thousand and nine conduct their Greatnesses, and myriads of Congressmen and women, political hacks and pundits, the president and all his men–the creatures of this chronicle among the rest–along the roads that lead to fall.

*http://www.readbookonline.net/read/688/10577/