Why Obama Should Not Run Again

Two former advisers to Democratic presidents have what is surely unwelcome advice for the current White House resident: "We believe Obama should announce immediately that he will not be a candidate for reelection in 2012." In their Washington Post op-ed, Douglas Schoen and Patrick Caddell say it's his best chance to be a great president. "He will be able to unite the country, provide national and international leadership, escape the hold of the left, isolate the right and achieve results that would be otherwise unachievable."

The midterms showed that Obama has "largely lost the consent of the governed," and that he has little credibility with Republicans or independents. As a result, we're in for two years of political gridlock at a moment when the country desperately needs solutions on everything from the deficit to foreign policy. By rising above the fray, Obama would gain leverage with lawmakers in both parties. The man who once said he'd rather be a "really good" one-term president than a mediocre two-termer "now has the chance to deliver on that idea." (More President Obama stories.)