Matt Frei’s commentary on the BBC News website, titled Washington diary: Obama’s slump, is so full of BS I don’t even know where to begin. Granted, it’s an opinion piece, but millions of people around the world watch or listen to BBC News every day, and the line between reporting opinions and facts is increasingly blurred, especially at the BBC.

Let’s skip by the “redefining the relationship with the rest of the world” – after all, it looks like Gitmo won’t be closed anytime soon and Iran hasn’t backed down on its nuclear threat. Instead, let’s start with Frei’s supposed neighbor, “Republican Dave”, who voted for Obama because “he could not stomach the thought of Sarah Palin being one heartbeat away from the Oval Office”. How big a factor in President Obama’s election were voters like Dave? According to CNN, 9% of self-identified Republicans voted for Obama. Referring to President Obama, Frei states: “It is the wobbly Obama Republicans – like my friend Dave – that he really needs to worry about.”

Matt, you’re right in that Dave’s part of the near-majority of Americans who disapprove of the President’s performance. You’re wrong about who the President should be most worried about. This broad-based discontent is far more significant than the 9% of Republicans who voted for Obama, many of whom probably have a bad case of buyer’s remorse. (An aside, Matt. As a television personality maybe you should stop knocking Glenn Beck. I bet you wish you had his audience share in the US.)

But Frei is totally wrong when it comes to why Obama’s approval ratings have fallen like a rock:

…something has clearly malfunctioned in this administration beyond the usual honeymoon hangover.

I think it started to go wrong at the time when Mr Obama was joking about the disproportionate fuss made over his first 100 days in office. He quipped about completing his second 100 days in 72 days, and resting on the 73rd day.

Frei theorizes that Obama’s fall is due to the “the impression of torpor and inertia” that arises during the month of August, and then makes the stunning claim that this is why Obama wanted to pass health care before the August recess.

Matt, do you have a direct line to the White House? Obama wanted to ram through health care so everyone could relax during their August vacation? I don’t think so. If you’re looking for a reason as to why the President’s popularity is declining, try adding in the negative reaction to the failure of the stimulus bill and the ballooning of the federal deficit to the public perception that the President is trying to pull a fast one on the American public with Health Care reform. At least you’re right about a sense of victimization, but it’s based on a fear of a creeping UK-style nanny state.

Along the way Frei uses the same tired and misleading liberal talking points. First off, Obama’s opponents are all white (the racist card is played subtly, of course.) Additionally he makes the tired claim that 47 Million Americans are uninsured, even though the number is more like 10-20 Million. There’s no attributed source for the remark that there are “half as many under-insured”, whatever that may mean. Hey Matt, fix the UK system first. You can start by coming up with a more humane way to treat patients with terminal illnesses.

But it’s the closing line that’s most irksome: “Oh yes, and no more town-hall meetings please.” Let’s see, some 233 years ago we heard similar remarks. Here’s one for you Matt: How about if the British public cries out “No more television license fees please.”

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