Bill Clinton Tells President Obama to Turn Up the Hope

The man from Hope (Arkansas) has message for the guy who ran on Hope: Bring back the Hope! Though Bill Clinton gives Barack Obama an "A" for his first month in office, the conspicuous absence of a plus on the report card can be attributed to the regrettable fact that the current president hasn't always sugar-coated the news concerning our abysmal economic situation.

As great communicators go, Ronald Reagan and Bill Clinton were two of the most noted presidential cheerleaders in our history. Indeed, each one brought his own arsenal of optimism to the task of rallying the nation during tough economic times. And while economists from across the political spectrum will tell you that nebulous fiscal indicators like the consumer confidence index often are swayed not by hard data but by the chipper tone of voice in which one delivers it, the fact is that the world may simply not produce enough sugar to turn our current crop of lemons into lemonade. Yes, Obama has inherited an economy that is far and away much worse than either Bill or Ron ever had to battle.

Still, it's interesting that while so many of Obama's campaign enemies (including Hillary Clinton herself) slammed Obama for his over-emphasis on Hope and Change in the face of the nation's tough challenges. Now, he's getting criticism for being too much of a dour realist.

So, how much could a "put on a happy face" routine actually change our economic fortunes? Is this "nation of whiners" really just in need of some good old fashioned hope-bullying from the presidential pulpit? Bring on the faith-healing! Play us out, guys: