Coach K: Economy Requires Obama's Attention

If you follow college basketball, there are few active coaches who are as highly regarded as Duke's Mike Krzyzewski.

As usual, "Coach K," as he is known, has his team in the NCAA Tournament. Frequently, during Krzyzewski's tenure as coach, the Blue Devils have advanced to the Final Four. Sometimes, they have played in the national championship game, winning it three times.

That is Krzyzewski's job, one at which he has excelled in nearly three decades as the head coach at Duke.

But he observed Wednesday that his team didn't advance to the Final Four in Barack Obama's widely reported picks.

I took exception yesterday to Obama making his picks when the economy is in such terrible shape, losing more than half a million jobs a month. Some of my readers have criticized me for that, but, apparently, Coach K agrees with me.

"As much as I respect what [Obama's] doing," he said while his team was preparing for its first–round game tonight, "really the economy is something he should focus on more than the brackets."

Coach K is a Republican. I am a centrist Democrat. We don't agree on every issue. But, on this one, we happen to agree.

Because I am a Democrat, does that mean I must be loyal to the president at all times and in all circumstances simply because of party affiliation? I don't think so.

I've been told, for example, by self-acknowledged Democrats that we should look at Obama's interest in the tournament as evidence that he is a "regular guy." Well, it seems to me that was one of the problems with the Bush administration. Bush was "elected" in 2000, we were told, because more Americans would rather have a beer with him than with Al Gore.

I believe a president is not a regular guy. He is responsible for the well being of a country of more than 300 million people. That puts him in a special category.

I am reminded of a scene from "The West Wing," in which Toby, the speechwriter, and Charlie, the president's personal aide, are talking about the president's marital problems. Toby observes that he has been married and can sympathize. "It's a typical marriage," Toby says. "I've been there."

Charlie replies, "Well, I haven't, but he's the president of the United States, so my guess is no, it's probably not a typical marriage."

I hope Obama's economic strategy pays off. So far, there is no evidence of that.

Until we can see that the strategy is working, he should focus on the issue at hand.

At the very least, he should keep his NCAA picks to himself.