经济学人下载:奥巴马的表现,不如人意

A generous review of the story is that Mr Obama staved off default while positioning himself in the coveted centre of politics from where elections are won. He did not get his way this time, but his calls for the rich to share more of the burden by paying higher taxes will resonate with voters when he seeks re-election.

整个事件可大致总结为奥巴马先生消除了违约问题，同时还让自己从选举获胜的地方出来进入了人人虎视眈眈的政治中心。这次他无法随心所欲，但是他呼吁富人多交税收，分担更多的负担，这一呼吁在他寻求连任时将得到选民的响应。

Maybe. But the public in America, and the wider watching world, saw only a mess. Meanwhile plenty of Democrats on the left grumble privately that the president’s handling of the crisis has been inept, spineless—and all too typical. Having failed to take evasive action, he showed no bottom line once lured into negotiation. In the health-care negotiation, likewise, he had wasted precious time hoping for Republican support that never came. It all fits into a pattern, they say, of a leader who shies away from necessary conflict, refuses to understand the intransigence of his enemies, would rather split differences than make a firm stand and lacks the courage of his own convictions. Foreigners—from Vladimir Putin (who this week called America a “parasite”) to the Taliban—are in danger of drawing the same conclusion.

或许吧。但是美国的公众以及世界各国更广泛的观察人士只看到了一片混乱。与此同时，许多左翼的民主党人私下里抱怨总统处理危机的方式既笨拙又软弱，毫无新意。逃避行动失败后，一旦受到引诱进入谈判，他就没了底线。同样，在医疗改革的谈判中，他浪费了宝贵的时间希望共和党人支持，但是共和党人就是没有支持。这与他们所说的如下模式一模一样：领导人不愿作必要的斗争，不愿去了解对手的不妥协性，情愿选择折中方案，而不是坚定立场，没有勇气做自己认为对的事。外国人——从弗拉基米尔．普京（本周，他将美国称为了“寄生虫”）到塔利班——有得出相同的结论之虞。

Any assessment of Mr Obama needs to acknowledge that when he was elected he inherited the in-box from hell: a financial collapse, a prostrated economy, two wars. Now he faces the opposition from hell: a reckless, populist Republican Party whose moderate voices have been silenced by ideologues and which has made throwing him out of office its foremost priority. For these tribulations he deserves a degree of sympathy. But Americans want their presidents to be winners, not victims. If he expects another term, Mr Obama is going to have to raise his game—especially if the Republicans find that candidate.

对奥巴马先生的任何评价都必须承认，当他当选的时候，他继承的是一个烂摊子：金融危机、萎靡不振的经济和两场战争。现在他面对的是另一种困境：不计后果、民粹主义的共和党。空想家的声音已经掩盖了该党中温和派的声音，该党还把他赶出白宫作为重中之重。经历了这么多苦难，他值得一些同情。但是美国人希望他们的总统成为胜者，而不是受害者。如果奥巴马想连任，必须要励精图治——要是共和党人找到了候选人尤其应该如此。