"The View From Behind Behind The Wheel..."

George Will once wrote that the reason baseball is one of the most popular and admired of pastimes is that the most successful players in the game fail more than 7 times out of 10.

Think about it.

If a ball player is hitting .300, he is considered a superstar.

And hitting .300 means he is failing to hit the ball seven out of ten times.

Human nature draws us to appreciate anyone who can keep trying, even "succeed" with that kind of failure potential pretty much a sure thing.

Which brings us to Barack Obama and his efforts to breathe life in what is arguably the most oxymoronic of all the oxymorons.

Bipartisanship.

Most people, when asked, would say, I think, they dont like the political process or politicians.

But if pressed, and an honest answer were given, I think a lot of those same people would say that they secretly admire those who give the political life a shot.

Because, let's face it, somebody has to drive the truck.

Or nobody gets anywhere.

And while it's easy to piss and moan about "those lying sons of bitches", all of that pissing and moaning is done from the back seat.

Anyone who's ever been so much as a community club president will tell you that being a "leader" is largely a matter of listening to people's whining about current conditions and why their idea of how to fix it is far superior to both the status quo and anybody else's opinion.

That's the thing with back seat drivers.

They want the authority.

But not the responsibility.

So while I'm not about to start heaping lavish piles of praise on politicians as a group, I will freely confess that I have a lot of admiration for anybody who is willing to step up and spend precious minutes of their lives in a job that is, by its nature, an exercise in frustration and futility.

On the off chance that maybe their work will help get the truck a little farther down the right road.

That's right as in correct.

Not as in Rush Limbaugh.

The clincial definition of bipartisanship is pretty basic.

Of, consisting of, or supported by members of two parties, especially two major political parties: a bipartisan resolution.

It's the translation that points out the problem.

Two people, or groups of people, agreeing on anything.

Now, how hard can that be?

Well, first thing Monday, gather four people in your office or workplace and give yourself a five minute deadline to come to a unanimous decision about what to eat for lunch.

Shuh..yeah. Right.

And that's just "Pizza?.....or Thai?...."

Not "health care for millions of Americans?....or....?"

Time will tell what good will come from Obama's walking, literally, figuratively and historically, into a room full of Republicans and saying "look, gang, we need to cut the bullshit, stop pointing fingers, and drive this thing down good road."

It is entirely possible that the man is simply pissing in the wind.

Can't help but think, though, that it beats pissing and moaning...

...from the back seat.