NO CONFUSION WITH REAGAN – AT 8:46 P.M. ET:  A poll out shows it's unlikely that Barack Obama will ever be confused with Ronald Reagan...or Douglas MacArthur:

(Reuters) - Only 17 percent of Americans see President Barack Obama as a strong and decisive military leader, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll taken after the United States and its allies began bombing Libya.

I'd love to talk to a few of that 17 percent.  I want to understand their reasoning.  It may be important for the future of psychiatry.

Nearly half of those polled view Obama as a cautious and consultative commander-in-chief and more than a third see him as indecisive in military matters.

Obama was widely criticized in 2009 for his months-long consultations with senior aides and military chiefs on whether to send more troops to Afghanistan. Critics called it dithering, but he said such a big decision required careful deliberation. He eventually dispatched 30,000 more troops.

But Obama is facing mounting discontent among opposition Republicans and from within his own Democratic Party over the fuzzy aims of the U.S.-led mission in Libya and the lack of a clearly spelled-out exit strategy for U.S. forces.

COMMENT:  This is a classic case of an inexperienced president who believes that all problems can be approached academically.  He has no gut instinct for conflict, does not believe in the word "victory," and doesn't understand his own country.  Other than that, he's terrific.

March 24, 2011