NYT columnist Maureen Dowd, no conservative by any means, just wrote a column calling President Obama a "cold cat on a hot stove" This was in reference to an old aphorism from Mark Twain, who noted that one should learn the right lessons from an experience lest they wind up like the cat who, once burned by sitting on a hot stove, will never sit on a cold one either.

Instead of taking on the role of a magnanimous victor in the latest Washington battle, he instead took to the podium to continue his reign as "lecturer in chief." Instead of reaching out to the opposition in order to set up negotiations for the rest of his second-term agenda, he instead scolded the GOP, once again, and presented a laundry list of goals just as immigration reform, a farm bill and a budget deal that includes deficit cuts. Dowd noted that his additional goals are a hike in the minimum wage, financing for preschool education, and spending on infrastructure such as roads and bridges. She correctly recognizes that Obama has zero chance of getting any of these measures through, especially after his continual end zone dances that leave Republican congressmen with absolutely nothing to show their constituents to merit reelection.

This reflects the inherent flaw in Obama's personality that even liberal commentators have acknowledged. He simply seems bored with the job of being president. He does not see why he has to persuade anyone to agree with him and why he would possibly have to negotiate anything with anyone. Apparently no one told him that the work of being president did not end with the election. It is as if he never understood what his role was as the chief executive. That is why he rules by executive orders rather than leading by his powers of persuasion.

These mythical powers appear to be just that; mythical. They are supported only by a fawning press corps and media and pumped up by his political entourage.

"As Valerie Jarrett told David Remnick in The Bridge, Obama's "uncanny" abilities need to be properly engaged, or he disengages. "He's been bored to death his whole life," she said. "He's just too talented to do what ordinary people do.' "

Dowd succinctly points that for all his vaunted abilities as a communicator and unifier, he rarely shows up to use those powers. With three more years to go on his administration, it seems inevitable that the magic which swept him into office in 2008 will be replaced by an overall feeling of weariness and disappointment, even among the left.

Victor Keith writes from Burbank, California and can be contacted at victorakeith.com