Krauthammer: Obama 'Debasing Currency of Presidential Authority' Like Fed Devaluing the Dollar

Syndicated columnist Charles Krauthammer on Friday said one of those truly memorable lines he comes up with from time to time.

Speaking about Barack Obama's decision to give his jobs creation plan before a joint session of Congress next week, Krauthammer told the host of PBS's "Inside Washington," "The same way the Federal Reserve is debasing our real currency he’s debasing the currency of presidential authority and presence" (video follows with transcript and commentary):

GORDON PETERSON, HOST: We have joint sessions of Congress, the State of the Union, national emergencies, war and so forth, but why would he call for this now?

NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: They’re props.

PETERSON: Pardon me.

TOTENBERG: They’re props. That’s what he wants them for. He wants them for props.

CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: Because in his own personal history, speeches, great speeches or great moments have created him. The one at the convention in 2004 created him, and then he had the Jeremiah Wright problem. He delivered a speech on race. I thought it was an awful speech, but it was welcomed like Lincoln at Cooper Union.

So he’s had these speeches where he’s sort of rescued himself or created himself, and he thinks in his own mind that he has an unlimited capacity to do this again and again. I think he’s debased the currency: the same way the Federal Reserve is debasing our real currency he’s debasing the currency of presidential authority and presence. Think of all the speeches he made on healthcare, probably in the thirties. Every time he made one, the numbers on ObamaCare decline. Well, this will be a chance for him to show he’s got the magic. I’ll be extremely surprised if he still does.

Indeed, but it will be nonetheless fascinating to see the mainstream media's reaction Thursday.

Given his declining poll numbers, and Friday's terrible jobs report, Obama's fans in the press know full well this could be a make or break moment for the president they helped get elected.

If he bombs Thursday, will they have the professional integrity to admit it, or will they back his play no matter how poor it is?

Stay tuned.