Yesterday, Barack Obama was called to task by the Washington Post for his lack of availability to answer questions following the Christmas Day terrorist attack of Northwest Flight 253.

While the president has read from a number of prepared statements regarding the incident over the past two weeks, he hasn't bothered to hold a forum in which the media could pose direct questions about it to him.

The Post is rightfully dismayed and calls his cowardice towards the matter, "unfortunate". It is unfortunate and unfortunately, this isn't the first time the president has acted like he was on the set of a Southwest Airlines commercial.

In September, while tens of thousands marched on the streets of Washington D.C. to demonstrate their opposition towards the president's domestic agenda, Obama hopped on a plane and escaped from the nation's capital. Apparently, it was more important to deliver a speech at a health-care rally in front of a mere 15,000 adoring supporters in the friendlier confines of Minneapolis's Target Center than it was to attempt to win the support of some of his naysayers.

Nearly two months later, just days following Nidal Malik Hasan's terrorist attack on Fort Hood, Obama hit the tarmac--fresh off an embarrassing display of insensitivity concerning the issue--for a little "much-needed" R&R at Camp David, while his predecessor quietly went to the grief-stricken army base to console the victims.

And most recently, in the aftermath of the aforementioned Northwest Flight 253, Obama displayed immediate interest in the well-being of a friend's child involved in a beach accident, but made the entire nation, which was searching for some leadership from its commander-in-chief, wait 72 hours before he reluctantly interrupted his vacation to deliver a statement.

The problem is, more often than not Obama is the guy who wants to get away when he has to deal with the difficult tasks that come with the territory of being President of the United States. It is further unfortunate that a media organization like the Post is just now realizing it.

There would be laughs abound if the president was instead the guy from the commercial who stupidly threw the video game controller at the television, but there's nothing funny about watching Obama's performance thus far which has been unbecoming of the president of the most powerful nation in the world. Now its citizens want to get away, but instead of catching a flight, we'll cast a ballot.

 
J.C. Arenas is a frequent contributor to American Thinker and welcomes your comments at jcarenas.com