Then, Obama Blamed Bush Too Much; Now, Obama Blames Himself Too Much

That was then:

“Obama’s New Strategy: Blaming Bush for Financial Mess,” by WaPo reporter Scott Wilson.

“What the administration is involved in now is the politics of attribution,” said Lawrence R. Jacobs, a political scientist at the University of Minnesota. “Each week that goes by with falling job numbers and Republican criticism of the administration’s flaws means falling approval ratings. What’s the antidote? That the guilty party is George Bush.”

“The trick,” Jacobs said, “is how do you shift blame to George Bush and retain any credibility on the idea that you are looking past partisan warfare? This looks like a doubling down on a very partisan approach.”

This is now:

“Analysis: Obama’s ‘Blame Me’ Means ‘Move On,” by CNN reporter Kristi Keck.

President Obama topped a town hall appearance Wednesday by claiming responsibility for the bonuses paid out to executives at the bailed-out insurance giant American International Group, saying, “I’m outraged, too.”

Cushioned by high approval ratings, analysts said Obama can emerge from this controversy relatively unscathed, but there’s only so many times he can get away with saying, “Blame me.”

Emphasis is mine.

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