Ass, class and Shane
At one time in this country, the strong, silent male was the very epitome of manhood encouraged by fathers onto their sons. Loud, blustery talkers, especially those who bragged about their toughness with no evidence of same, were routinely ridiculed. Young men were explicitly told, when going into bars, to keep their voices down, lest they get their ass kicked by one of those strong, silent men in the shadows.
Think of the movie Shane, with Alan Ladd starring as the strong, silent killer, quietly helping Joe Starrett on his farm. Shane didn't talk about what he was going to do; when the time came, he simply did it. The difference between Obama and Shane are as simple, yet profound, as the difference between talk and action.
Some of us too are old enough to remember when Jimmy Carter said after Ted Kennedy decided to challenge him for the Democratic presidential nomination - "I'm gonna kick his ass". Yep, when I think of tough guys, old JC is right there at the top of the list, even if he did end up beating Kennedy. Of course, that whole get-drunk, drown-your-girlfriend and then-walk-away thing might have been a minor factor too.
By no means am I the first to compare Carter and Obama, but the longer O's in office, the more apt the comparison becomes. The general consensus seems to be that both are, or were, all talk. Another president once advised it wise to "walk softly but carry a big stick". I don't know why, but I suspect both JC and the current president are seriously lacking not just a big stick, but maybe a couple of other items too.
Far more damaging to the country however is his complete lack of class. Showing your ass by talking about kicking it is about as far from being presidential as one can get, and it's damn close to being the same distance from being a real man.