Popular Barack Obama will be missed when he goes

Barack Obama carried out his presidencies with dignity and never embarrassed the country. Indeed there hasn’t been a tone-deaf moment in his two terms, and he will be missed, writes Elizabeth Drew

BARACK Obama was just beginning to enjoy himself. He’d been itching to throw himself into the 2016 presidential race and do what he could to ensure that Donald Trump wouldn’t succeed him as President of the United States. It was evident throughout the campaign that he backed his former secretary of state, Hillary Clinton, but he had to wait to declare his support openly until it was certain that Senator Bernie Sanders couldn’t beat her at the convention.

His entry into the campaign came at a time when 56% of Americans approve of his performance — the highest level in a long time. In 2014, his approval rating dipped to a low of 40%, owing to public discontent with the economy and the Islamic State’s gains in Iraq and Syria. Democrats running for re-election that year deliberately avoided joint appearances with him; now, they clamour for his attendance at their campaign events.