Let Them Have It

Matt Yglesias makes a brilliant observation about the next two years for President Obama:

The point is, it’s a great big country located in the middle of a great big world. There’s more to life than the United States Congress and deep engagement with the legislative process is not a politically rewarding undertaking. So let it go. Staff up the White House with people interested in running the executive branch and focus on doing a good job. Let the Senators fight with each other on their own.

Exactly. There's no point, or reason, for the president to play party leader anymore. He's the executive. He's the leader of the country, not Congress or the DNC.  Let the GOP handle the House.  Let what's left of Harry Reid handle the Senate.  Stay out of the legislating bargaining process and focus on running the country with the policies you've already put into place.  It was a lesson Bill Clinton had to learn the hard way too.  There's no time for President Obama to have his head buried in Capitol Hill.  The absolute last thing the GOP wants is to own legislation.  Let them have it.  They earned it.  It's theirs.