There are several major Obama decisions that I think were problematic. In retrospect-hindsight being a brilliant tool for acute strategic analysis-the decision to pursue universal health care rather than staying focused on the economy (or even going with his campaign vision of a "green" rescue plan for the economy) was the biggest blunder. That the new health care regime won't kick in until after the next election made it worse. To this day, people seem to know more about what's not in the bill ("death panels") than what's actually in it.

But that's not really what Westen is writing about. Most of Obama's policy choices have been the right ones. He's a sane, smart, admirable guy. The trouble, though, comes from his inability to explain these decisions to the public. And this is where Westen's piece is valuable: there is a difference between eloquence and narrative strength. Obama is often eloquent-and not just in a big room, big rhythm sort of way; his ability to explain complicated problems using simple words can be extraordinary. But he has never deployed these skills in service of the larger story-never really explained where we are as a country, how we got here and-Westen is spot on here-who the villains have been. He has never gone to war on behalf of the American people. Consequently, as I found on my coast-to-coast road trip last September, most people really have no idea who he is or where he stands.