A THUMBS UP FOR DONALD – AT 9:24 A.M. ET:  We are getting close to the two-month mark in the Trump presidency.  It's been a rough, but vigorous, beginning, and respected observer Andrew Malcolm gives Trump a thumbs up.  From McClatchy:

Elements of Donald Trump’s presidential style are already emerging and they must be discouraging to his critics.

It’s easy to miss things that do not happen. But perhaps you too have noticed a decline of trivial Trump tweets, starting spats and news cycles many mornings.

Last week — are you sitting down? — Trump canceled a couple of media availabilities. He turned down ESPN’s invitation to provide his own NCAA tournament brackets, a free PR ride on basketball fever annually seized by President Barack Obama.

When reporters yell questions at Trump now, he usually goes deaf, turning away to converse with others. Avoiding opportunities to use or fight with media has not been a Trump trademark since he launched his hopeless presidential campaign 21 months ago, or his public persona decades ago, for that matter.

During the campaigns, Trump was quite successful creating media distractions to change the topic or detract from opponents’ successes and self-destructively some of his own. Not anymore.

Yes, such recent behavior negates the need to respond to WikiLeaks’ newest document dump, the latest Michael Flynn lie or a goofy new Nancy Pelosi plaint.

But it also allows, or perhaps forces, media to focus on the crucial launch of the House Obamacare replacement policies, which Trump has endorsed. And on Trump’s ongoing stream of executive orders starting the fulfillment of numerous campaign promises. And on his impressive debut address to Congress. How did the boastful Trump respond to all that overnight praise? He simply tweeted, “THANK YOU.”

Trump remains underwater in terms of job approval, but Gallup just found a clear majority believe he will restore prosperity.

COMMENT:  Excellent piece, with fine insight from Andrew.  Read the whole thing.  Trump is a president-in-the-making,  He has great potential, and he's developing it, with some visible mistakes along the way.  Obama never developed his potential because he was incapable of believing he could ever make a mistake.

There is a wonderful story about Dwight D. Eisenhower that is instructive here.  In retirement at his Gettysburg farm, Eisenhower was visited by General Harold Johnson, the chief of staff of the Army.  Both Ike and Johnson loved history, and they discussed Plutarch, in the presence of Eisenhower's young military aide.  Afterward, Eisenhower mentioned to the aide that Johnson had made some mistakes.  "President Eisenhower," the aide asked, "why didn't you correct General Johnson?"  Eisenhower replied, and this is an approximate quote, "Young man, I got to where I got by hiding my ego."  Good thought.

March 13,  2017