SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY - AT 7:01 A.M. ET:  Related to the story below, the Wall Street Journal also hits the issue of Obama's left-wing notions and the resignation of self-proclaimed Marxist Van Jones, and lays out the danger for the president:

No President is responsible for all of the views of his appointees, but the rise and fall of Mr. Jones is one more warning that Mr. Obama can't succeed on his current course of governing from the left. He is running into political trouble not because his own message is unclear, or because his opposition is better organized. Mr. Obama is falling in the polls because last year he didn't tell the American people that the "change" they were asked to believe in included trillions of dollars in new spending, deferring to the most liberal Members of Congress, a government takeover of health care, and appointees with the views of Van Jones.

COMMENT:  The president's leftward drift is bad enough on domestic policy.  But remember that he hasn't faced a real crisis yet in foreign policy.  If he heads left in a confrontation with enemies of the United States, he can really wind up as toast, unless he blames BUSH (!!) and the public buys it.

September 8, 2009