Obama's problem? The anesthetized expectations of supporters.

Dan Froomkin writes the best critique of the nine-month-old Obama administration (and of those who voted for him) I've read thus far.

But some of Obama's lack of boldness may stem from the fact that when he looks behind him, there's essentially nobody there.

His legion of supporters, after rising up and sweeping him into office a year ago, basically sat their butts back down. They stood up again to cheer and cry on Inauguration Day. But then it was back to the recumbent position.

[... he has had some key accomplishments ...]

But on some key issues such as jobs, the bank bailout, the war in Afghanistan and a whole slew of executive-power related issues, Obama has fallen way short of expectations. He surrounded himself with too many people who represent politics-as-usual, and he has buckled under to pressure from the national security establishment that Bush put on steroids.

How much of that would be different, however, if the people who voted for Obama had remained politically active? If they were visibly and energetically not just supporting him, but pushing him to be bolder?

But Obama's supporters aren't giving him even rudimentary political cover.

This brings up some obvious truths to bear. The action stopped on Election Day. That was that. It was that easy.

People like me have been hard on the president for talking a big game in the campaign and not following through. Sure, not being George Bush is easy to pull off and assuages quite a few liberals. But he hasn't shown much in the way of bold leadership. And Froomkin is right, it's that he has a weak political structure behind him, at least compared to what he was riding in the campaign. Some might say that comparing an historic election to everyday governing is completely unfair. But, in a unique case like Obama's (He's a black American president! The first, in fact!) that campaign fervor is not normal. This is where his celebrity hurts him. The country was swept up. He was hailed. The McCain voters saw how what they didn't want was so glorified in their own country. So the resentful are now hardened and bitter, and supporters have been anesthetized by their "so noble and enlightened" gesture in voting for him that they forgot to demand that change. He's not the king they elected. He's a part of the equation in a Washington culture that can chew him up and puke him out without the public fervently behind him.

That's the connection between my disappointment in him and my disappointment in the electorate, the citizens. That doesn't let the Obama administration off the hook. But since we aren't going to empower them, they've just decided to take the egregious executive powers Bush left behind. Keeping those around is coming in handy!