ONCE AGAIN A WHITE GUY  BAILS OUT OBAMA

First it was Bill Clinton, the oddly not disgraced, former president. He held court on stage at the Democratic National Convention, movin' and shakin' and stickin' and movin' until he pounded his points home. 

Muhammad Ali would have been proud.

Had the election been held that night fired-up Democrats would've tried to vote twice and if you listened closely you would have heard Clint Eastwood's horse galloping him out of town, kicking over his "chair" in the process.

Yes the smooth, newly svelte Clinton took the stage as unscarred as Ali used to be. And Obama backstage could laugh -- even smile. For his henchman had done his heavy lifting. I'm sure that he clapped and clutched Michelle's waist a little tighter each time the former president made his case for the current one much like a highly skilled, highly paid, defense attorney does in final summation.

Perry Mason would have been proud.

Last night its was VP Joe Biden's turn to enter the fray as Obama held his jacket on the sidelines. This was even more important as the big, bad, Republicans had kicked his ass just two weeks before. His lackluster performance over a supposed lightweight opponent reminded me of the Leon Spinks v. Muhammad Ali fight where Ali lost his crown to a toothless wonder.

Now enter Biden, every bit as skilled a back-up tough guy, and designated hitter as Clinton. No surprise he came out swinging at the preppie, snarky Paul Ryan without even taking time to hang his jacket on the fence. Biden is not afraid to get his clothes dirty -- or his hands. 

If you are following NY Yankee baseball look at it this way: Last night Biden was Raul Ibanez and Obama was A-Rod. Got it?

Biden made mistakes, but he kept coming -- he came to fight. 

Ryan fought back - and well. He showed much more polish and intelligence than Mitt Romney -- even though he stuck to his well-scripted talking points. But he was no match for Joe Biden.

Two white guys to the rescue of Obama. 

But this isn't about race!

It is about the fact that President (for now anyway) Obama must dig deep and recapture the spirit, the drive -- the balls if you will -- that enabled him to leave his ivy league clothes and demeanor, roll the dice, go bare-knuckle and take on a real bona-fide tough guy - former Black Panther -- Bobby Rush on the mean streets of Chicago, traditionally the nation's toughest political environment. 

He got his ass kicked -- welcome to Chicago! 

What did Obama do? He got up off the canvas, spit the blood out of his mouth and "got ready to rumble" again. This time winning even bigger fights like the Senate race and finally the biggest brass ring of all -- the presidency of the United States -- the whole United States. And leader of the free world.  

Where is that guy? 

Obama seems to have gone from rumbling to rallies in front of friendly crowds. Preaching to the converted who still cling to his famous "HOPE" campaign. Meanwhile he dismisses much of his core on the left (save for the Gay community and to some degree Latinos) over issues of concern to them. Blacks in particular. Baby boomer Blacks especially who believe (and rightfully so) that it is largely through their generation's efforts that Obama is where he is.

Still there are no meetings with the Congressional Black Caucus (something Clinton and even Bush did)  and not even a whisper about sky-high Black unemployment rates or a range of issues that impact Black people far more than the general population. It is similar to the attitude that many big city mayors have (including New York's Bloomberg and Obama-pal Emanuel in Chicago) about crime. They boast of how "safe" their cities have become while in many poorer, Black neighborhood you can't go the the corner store, sit on your stoop, or do your homework with the window open without the possibility getting shot (all of the aforementioned have occurred in NYC over the past summer).   But otherwise things are fine here, so let's not get to caught up in the worries of poor Blacks.

He has even gotten soft many environmental issues, much to the ire of many environmentalists who feel down right betrayed. And on.

A key aide to a powerful Congressional representative told me just two days ago that: "The energy level of voting for Obama in New York City is very low -- especially among Black people. There won't be lines around the block on this Election Day..."

I am not one of those who believes that if Obama wins his second term he will somehow morph into Bobby Seale, or Malcolm X or Martin Luther King. But in order to get that second chance, he will need to come out and hit harder and faster than ever before. He needs  to see this as a fight more a race. Biden called out Ryan last night on every falsehood he tried to pass off as truth. He cited the "47%" thing. Why Obama didn't, we'll never know. 

If he thinks that letting Biden or Bill Clinton make the case for his second term, he is not just mistaken -- he's delusional.    

If the President cannot convince enough people in his base that the Republicans are a threat to women, persons of color, the environment, health care, student loans, as well as the middle class, they will not come out and vote.

I am one who believes that there are many more people in this country who prefer Obama in the White House to Romney -- I don't care what the polls say. I believe just as strongly that they may go fishing on election Day because Obama has not energized them like before.

Poor, dumb Republicans! Had they not let their party get high jacked by the Tea Party and other mean-spirited crazies, they could have won this thing easily. They could have packaged a candidate -- even the "old" Romney -- two years ago to start building an economic recovery plan and taking it on the road. Lots of charts. graphs, web materials and hand-on town meetings starting in traditional Republican strong holds and moving more to the center. Then on to the big cities and talks with teachers and cops and firefighters, etc. Doesn't matter if it was all smoke and mirrors - people want to believe they will have their job and their house next month. 

The Republicans could have abandoned all the social faux morality issues around Gays and abortion, etc., skipped over the gun huggers and went right to where people's real concerns are.

And they could have all rallied around Romney (or his like) and avoided the ridiculous sideshow of piss-poor debate candidates like the toupee-wearing Texan, the Baptist pizza magnate, the re-tread paunchy former Congressional leader and of course the Minnesota woman who thinks maybe slavery wasn't the worst thing for Blacks.

They would have left enough doubt in Obama''s base that many if not most would have said: "You know, I kinda like this guy, Obama's not really working out, let's give him a shot. After all he was a successful businessman..."

Not that I'm sorry they didn't do this.

I don't know whether or not Obama will acknowledge that the next debate could really be the deal breaker - because vice presidents don't determine elections. So, Mr. President,  like the "A" student you are, study hard for every possible question and Romney response. Then take off your tie and roll up your sleeves.

The rap on President Obama (one of them!) has always been that he is either a) too nice b) too soft or c)  all of the above.

Mr. President, with but a few remaining seconds left on the clock and the game on the line, fouls don't matter.