Where is the hope? Where is the change? What happened to "Yes, We Can?"

Apparently, Hope is dead as President Obama repeatedly has tried to lower expectations that his administration can end the recession any time soon. Yes, he's thrown out billions (if not trillions) of new spending on a strictly partisan basis, but don't get your hopes up. Economists don't have much hope http://www.mcclatchydc.com/227/story/62082.html, but, even more importantly, neither does the president. Repeatedly we hear from him that his economic program will not be enough, and repeatedly we hear from him how bad off the economy is.

Obama is, understandably, trying to lower the public's expectations, but it is precisely his negative, can't-do attitude that lowers consumer confidence and further depresses the economy. Indeed, Obama's statements, while perhaps true, are nonetheless self-serving and selfish. The president is the nation's cheerleader-in-chief. He should not sugar-coat the problems of the nation, but he certainly should not exacerbate them, either.