"When I think about what we've done well and what we haven't done well," the
president said, "the mistake of my first term - couple of years - was thinking
that this job was just about getting the policy right. And that's important. But
the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that
gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough
times."

Mr. Obama acknowledged the dissonance between others' perception
of his strength as an expert orator, and his own.

"It's funny - when I ran, everybody said, well he can give a good speech but can he
actually manage the job?" he said. "And in my first two years, I think the notion was, 'Well,
he's been juggling and managing a lot of stuff, but where's the story that tells
us where he's going?' And I think that was a legitimate
criticism."

Pressed by Rose about what he felt he needed to explain better to the American people,
the president corrected that he wanted to do more
"explaining, but also inspiring."

President Obama believes that millions of Americans have lost their homes,
their jobs and their livelihood because he failed to tell a good story. Being
president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and
President Obama has failed to lead. No wonder Americans are losing faith in his
presidency.