With a Presidential Approval Index of -21, Democrat Congressmen running for the hills, or at least, somewhere that he can’t perform his grim reaper act on their re-election chances, and a pathetic, although quite amusing, attempt to appear more centrist, Obama is losing the little credibility that remained.

I used to get quite agitated by his speeches, to put it mildly. Shock, horror, disbelief, annoyance, downright anger… I experienced quite a range of emotions when he filled the gap between teleprompters to announce his ideological, and totally impractical, agenda.

Lately, his speeches have given me some light relief, in much the same way as a recording of ‘sporting bloopers’ or ‘newsreader gaffes’. His carefully choreographed performances only serve to highlight the inconsistencies, untruths and construed electioneering banter that falls upon the ears of his small assembled band of supporters, strategically placed close together in camera shot to give the appearance of a packed house.

Obama’s Labor Day speech in Wisconsin was a classic example. In open-necked shirt, with rolled-up sleeves (that should appeal to the working man, he thought), he proceeded to champion the cause of small business (time to move to the center, he thought) and American industry (that’ll appeal to patriots, he thought).

All well and good, but when has Obama ever done anything that benefits small business, or any size private enterprise for that matter? His latest offering amounts to no more than a feeble attempt to lower the unemployment statistics. If the work isn’t there, due to a combination of lack of disposable income and caution on the part of those that do have a few dollars to spend, companies are not going to recruit, tax breaks or not.

This has been borne out by an increase in productivity figures, where businesses are using a smaller workforce to meet demand. It’s safer, and cheaper, to pay overtime when the work is there, than to support more permanent staff. Increased health care costs, that the employer has to meet, is something they can do without while trying to ride the recession.

Who, given the choice, would not buy American? I actually thought for a while (well, it lasted a few seconds) that the President was on to something… until he came to the punchline. “I don’t want to see solar panels and wind turbines and electric cars made in China,” he said. “I want them made right here in the United States of America.” I nearly fell off my seat laughing. He’ll be attempting sales of solar panels in Wales next, where it is nearly always raining.

When Obama stuck to his core beliefs, as despised as they were by the majority of Americans, he at least had the loyal following of his Marxist cronies and perhaps more than a few moderate Democrats that could be swayed. This ‘pick and mix’ approach to his public persona, a last-ditch attempt at self-preservation, only serves to make him appear foolish and desperate. Perhaps we should book our tickets now for the final act!

(Editor Dee is in for Skip today)