OBAMA, 2010 – AT 8:16 A.M. ET:  There are a number of year-end reviews on the news network.  You don't need another one here.  But I did want to comment on this second year of the Obama administration.

The president has fallen from grace, but remains politically potent.  He is being treated more as a human being, less as a demi-god, come down to save us.  Even some of his backers are starting to demand that he adhere to the standards expected of a man who holds the highest office.  This week, no less a worshipper than Chris Matthews, who, you'll recall, felt a tingle up his leg every time Obama spoke, suggested that the president finally release his long-form birth certificate to prove he was born when and where he claimed.  And the new governor of Hawaii, the extreme left-wing Neil Abercrombie, pledged that he would "prove" Obama was born in Hawaii.

Incredible that this "birther" issue has resurfaced.  I'm not a birther.  I believe the president was born in Hawaii on the day he says he was, but his failure to release his long-form birth certificate violates fundamental political standards, and he should do it.  Clearly, there is something embarrassing on the paper.  I suspect that his father listed Barack as a Kenyan citizen, something irrelevant under American law, if he was born on our soil.  The American people will understand, as long as Obama has told the truth about when and where.

At the same time, get ready for the love affair between press and president to be rekindled in 2011.  It is clear that some journalists are petrified that their 1960s moment will disappear with the 2012 election, and that they'll be required to graduate to the emotional age of 21.  This could be a disaster, and a deep disappointment to many.

December 31, 2010