Down, boys

So. Carolina governor Mark Sanford's office asks Obama and the Democrats to not play so rough.

That may be appropriate, given Obama's many highfalutin' pledges to seek a different tone in Washington. Is Obama a world-class hypocrite, a fighter disguised as a lover?

I do think of Cesar Millan, the famous Dog Whisperer. He is legendary -- and controversial -- for his ability to reform out-of-control pit bulls and fighter dogs that would otherwise be destroyed by authorities.

But Cesar uses firmness, not gentleness, to create cooperation. He occasionally uses a controversial tactic in rolling a "red zone" type of dog onto its side -- to trigger its primitive impulses that inform it that it is no longer the boss. From then on out, it can become a cooperative partner.

The GOP since the election hasn't been acting as though it wants a partial ownership share of a government of which Democrats legitimately won the majority share. They instead jockey aggressively for the dominant ownership share in 2010 and 2012.

So yeah, I can see how Obama feels that he's been getting his hand bit, and now needs to roll them onto their side in order to get them to play a role that is more than they deserve but less than what they want.