It's way too soon to say the president's in deep trouble.
But I don't think it's too soon to say Americans are in the middle of a deep reassessment.
That's what happens when a scandal hits.
Especially if it's more than just one scandal.
It cuts to this administration's core credibility.
It cuts to its trust.
Do people trust this White House?
Do people trust this president?
Up to now, the administration has framed this Benghazi issue as nothing more than a partisan Republican attack fueled by Fox News.
Then came those revised talking points, courtesy ABC News.
Then it became bigger news.
New questions, new doubts.
Then came the IRS thing.
And the Justice Department spying on AP reporters thing.
And suddenly you had and have lots of things that cut to what has long been this administration's core.
That you can question our policies but you can never question our good intentions.
Until now. Because now folks are beginning to wonder.
Suddenly what they perceived to be the case is not the case or certainly doesn't look like the case.
It's like an idol caught in a lie.
You either acknowledge the lie, or fall back hoping the idol was just too out of the loop to lie.
Either way, the idol doesn't look so ideal.
And the bloom is off the rose.
And no matter what happens things are never quite the same.
That somewhere between an IRS over-stepping its bounds.
And a Justice Department over-stepping folks' rights and maybe a whole administration over-stepping the truth--something has gone.
And all the president's ample speaking skills in the world are not going to bring it back.
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