Guess What Else Obama Blames for the GOP Victory in Massachusetts?

Turns out it's not only Bush's fault (as Todd discusses below), but it's also because Obama didn't "speak directly to the people." Here's another telling moment from the President's exclusive interview with George Stephanopoulos:

If there's one thing that I regret this year is that we were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises that were in front of us that I think we lost some of that sense of speaking directly to the American people about what their core values are and why we have to make sure those institutions are matching up with those values.

That first part is the classic politician's self-congratulatory non-mea culpa, designed to put the politician in a flattering light. We were so busy just getting stuff done and dealing with the immediate crises. Translation: If I am guilty of anything, it is working too hard for the American people.

And the second part is just ludicrous. Obama didn't speak directly to the American people? Riiiight. CBS News provides some statistics from his first year in office:

Speeches, Comments & Remarks: 411

including 52 addresses specifically on his health care proposals

News Conferences: 42

5 were formal press conferences, 4 of which were on TV in prime time

Interviews: 158

90 on Television, 11 on Radio.

(CBS News comments: "This is a striking number of interviews and far more than any of his recent predecessors in their first year. ")

Town Hall Meetings: 23

(okay one was in France and the other in China -- but 21 were presumably amongst actual Americans)

Political Fundraisers: 28

Campaign Rallies 7

(each of the 4 candidates he campaigned for lost, including Martha Coakley, Scott Brown's opponent)

Not only did the President speak directly to the American people with astonishing frequency, he spoke directly to the voters on behalf of the candidate whose defeat led him to blame his political woes on a lack of speaking directly to the people.

All of this is just a way to avoid (1) admitting that a significant majority oppose the substance of the Democratic proposals, and (2) actually defending the merits of those proposals honestly. In the interview with Stephanopolous he actually claims that the current health-care legislation will help rein in government spending on health care -- a claim that has been debunked by the CBO roughly a billion trillion times. This is what audacity looks like.

(via Drudge, who juxtaposed the ABC interview and the CBS tally)