Allow me to take Harry S Truman's words and mangle them. If you've got tons of friends in Washington, better get a dog.
That's exactly what President Obama is doing this week, flouting the time-honored capital axiom by bringing a loyal pup into the White House just as polls show him continuing to make friends near and far. But, while Bo'bama will surely bring the president immeasurable joy, it's the other friends Obama has made in Washington who have helped make his last three months a success.
The glowing reception European leaders gave Obama sent the message that they're ready to play ball with the U.S. government.
Of course, Obama's numbers wouldn't be where they are today without the consistently hapless efforts of the party that his election sent into the wilderness. Republicans have been, in a way, his best friends. Whether the story is about Michael Steele, Dick Cheney, Bobby Jindal, Sarah Palin or Glenn Beck, the bottom line is the same: Republicans so far have failed to make a credible case against the Democrats, and until they do, the main beneficiary is Obama. Poll numbers bear this out; A new CNN/Opinion Research poll shows that, by wide margins, voters think Obama is "doing enough" to cooperate with Republicans, while the GOP, by similar margins, isn't returning the favor.
To appreciate another friend Obama has made, check out the snapshot of the informal chat he had last week with his secretary of State. One year after they were slugging it out in the final leg of the Democratic bloodfest, Obama and Hillary Rodham Clinton found time on a balmy spring day for a catch-up. Sitting at a picnic bench near the playground on the White House lawn, the two offered yet another reminder of how far their relationship has come in just a few short months, and how important it is for both participants. If Obama had passed Clinton over for a top Cabinet job, she likely would still be serving in the Senate and could be causing huge headaches for the president. Instead, they just returned from a trip to Europe that, while hardly a diplomatic touchdown, showed how easily the two work together and how well received they are on the international stage.
That stage has provided Obama with yet another crucial set of friends. While European leaders balked at his pleas for more Afghanistan troops and stimulus funds, the glowing reception they gave Obama sent the message that they're ready to play ball with the U.S. government -- a welcome change from the Bush era.
That reception has helped Obama build support for his foreign policies. By nearly a 3-1 margin, Americans told CNN/Opinion Research last week that they disagree with Cheney's claim that the Obama administration's foreign policies "raise the risk to the American people of another attack." Just over half of Americans think the United States is not respected around the world today, down from 71 percent in June 2007, according to a CBS News/New York Times poll released last week.
On the domestic front, Obama has found another unlikely friend: Wall Street. While the Dow headed south Monday and Tuesday, it still has posted consistent gains for the past five weeks. The Dow's performance fueled Obama's observation Friday that he was starting to see "glimmers of hope" of an economic turnaround. And it has contributed to an increased level of consumer confidence; according to Gallup, 71 percent of adults have a "great deal" or "fair amount" of confidence that Obama will do the right thing on the economy, while just 38 percent feel that way about congressional Republicans.
Sure, none of these friends have adorable brown eyes or an irresistible (hypoallergenic) coat of curly, black-and-white hair. And few of them will come running to greet the returning president on all fours when he steps off Marine One on the south lawn. But the other friends Obama has made during the first 100 days of his presidency will bring him as much joy as he'll get from Bo.
Well, almost as much.
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