Missing George Bush

Buyer's remorse.

The re-evaluation of Mr. Bush is occurring for two main reasons. 1) The expectations set by Mr. Obama, his campaign, and those who supported him that he would be a kind of Magical Merlin, capable of changing human nature and the interests of nations, were always impossible. He is perceived as failing because there was never any way he could have delivered the lofty, saviorlike promises he made. He is as earth-bound as was Mr. Bush.

And 2) It's quickly dawning on more and more people that the presidency is difficult. This obvious reality is often overlooked until a president leaves office and is replaced by a successor who appears submerged by the responsibilities. It's "the hardest job in the world" for a reason: Every day brings a new, impossible challenge that demands immediate attention; some new, tough decision that must be made; some new, unprecedented problem that needs to be solved. The gig is no picnic, and executive experience matters. In an interview on Sunday's "60 Minutes," when Mr. Obama was asked about making hard decisions, he literally blurted out, "This is really hard."