Is that Candidate Obama again?

Are we starting to see Candidate Obama again? I've sure missed him! Or maybe, if we're really lucky, President Obama has learned something in the past few years. (I just hope it's not too late.)

Anyway, here's TPM:

President Obama took a swing at Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) while speaking at a fundraiser at the Silicon Valley home of John Thompson, Symantec Corp. chairman on Sunday.

“You’ve got a governor whose state is on fire, denying climate change,” he said according to the White House pool report of the event. Texas has been hard hit in recent weeks with a series of wild fires that have only recently been brought under control.

The president didn’t limit his comments to the candidates. He also took the opportunity to address recent audience behavior at the debates, singling out those who applauded the prospect of a young man dying because he didn’t have health insurance and those who booed a gay service member.

“That’s not reflective of who we are,” the president said of the GOP audiences. “This is a choice about the fundamental direction of our country. 2008 was an important direction. 2012 is a more important election.”

President Obama challenged those gathered at the event to work hard for his reelection, saying that if they believe in a “fact-based” America, he was the only possible candidate.

The president quoted Joe Biden for a bit of comic relief. “Don’t compare me to the almighty,” he said. “Compare me to the alternative.”

I don't know about the political wisdom of running as the lesser of two evils, but he's definitely got a point. If you believe in a fact-based America, Barack Obama is the only possible candidate. The alternatives, every one of them, are scary as hell.

But after being the GOP doormat for two and a half years, has Obama finally recognized what he's up against? Has he finally realized that it doesn't matter how nice he is to them, they're not going to like him anyway? Has he finally decided to lead our nation, rather than expect Congress to do that?

Well, I sure hope so. And I really hope that it's not already too late. But hey, if we want a reality-based government, we've really got no choice. And giving up is only an option for cowards.