‘No drama’ Obama being tested by a recent series of public setbacks

President Barack Obama’s “no drama” mantra is being tested like never before.

Obama is grappling with Washington soap opera storylines instead of honing a message on job creation and other domestic agenda items White House aides would like to see leading the news.

{mosads}This week alone, Obama and White House aides had to deal with the Gen. Stanley McChrystal fiasco and rumors about the resignation of White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.

While the administration shot down the Emanuel speculation, Obama will need to tap a new White House budget director in the wake of Peter Orszag’s announcement he is leaving his post next month.

During their meeting on Wednesday, Obama repeatedly chastised McChrystal for breaking the chain of command and the code of conduct. In many ways, it was a defining moment of his presidency. But the controversy, splashed on front pages of newspapers ranging from the Los Angeles Times to the New York Post, has been a major distraction from Obama’s effort to address the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and his legislative agenda.

Obama has stressed that he never gets too high or too low, and advises his team to do the same. During his 2008 presidential campaign, the president warned his aides to do their jobs with “no drama.”

The president scored some significant triumphs this year, most notably on healthcare reform. Another victory was the passage of Wall Street reform legislation through the Senate on May 20. But since then, the White House has suffered major setbacks. 

Criticism of Obama’s handling of the oil spill has intensified, and his effort to use the BP disaster to generate momentum for energy legislation has fallen flat. And on Wednesday, a Louisiana court overturned Obama’s ban on deepwater drilling. 

White House involvement in attempting to clear Senate Democratic primaries in Pennsylvania and Colorado boomeranged. The GOP quickly pounced on the media reports of job offers as enticements to stay out of the races, and Republicans say they will not let the issue fade away.

The trial of former Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) is under way, another issue that has led to negative stories about the White House’s involvement in tapping Obama’s successor in the Senate.

Meanwhile, Democrats on Capitol Hill have given up on passing a budget blueprint, struggled to move a tax extender/unemployment benefits measure and delayed action on a war supplemental bill.

In late May, Dennis Blair, Obama’s director of national intelligence, resigned after the president lost confidence in him following attempted domestic terrorist attacks in the U.S. 

Not everything has gone sour for Obama over the last month. His nomination of Solicitor General Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court has Republicans on their heels. She is expected to be confirmed easily to the high court this summer. 

Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons said that some of Obama’s problems and distractions offer him a chance to show his presidential mettle.

“However annoying, inconvenient and often tragic they may be, emergencies and distractions are also opportunities to renew America’s confidence in President Obama’s judgment,” Simmons said. “They are only politically damaging when handled poorly, and this White House usually gets it right.”

On Wednesday, standing in the White House Rose Garden, Obama said he welcomes “debate among my team, but I won’t tolerate division.” 

“All of us have personal interests; all of us have opinions,” Obama said. “Our politics often fuels conflict, but we have to renew our sense of common purpose.”

While the president was talking about McChrystal and the rest of the national security team, Obama undoubtedly wanted to send a message to the rest of his staff: no more drama this summer.