Bill O'Reilly thinks the only thing that can save the Obama presidency is the extremism of the Tea Party followers in Congress.

And he's right.

Maureen Dowd compares Obama to Jimmy Carter today in her Sunday New York Times column, clearly overwhelmed by the job, bowing to Republican demands at every turn, out of his depth.

And she's right.

Both leading Irish American columnists essentially agree that the only thing that can save this ineffectual president is the extremism on the right .

The two leading Irish American voices (pictured together at an Irish Central/Irish Voice event above) rarely agree on anything, but see Obama increasingly as a failed leader.

Dowd worries why Obama didn't just cite the 14th amendment clause that the Democrats including Bill Clinton believe allows the president to raise the debt ceiling an challenge Republicans to take him on in the courts.

Not this president unfortunately.

Here is what Dowd wrote today;

"The world is watching in fearful — and sometimes gleeful — fascination as the Tea Party drives a Thunderbird off the cliff with the president and speaker of the House strapped in the back. The Dow is hiding under the bed with a glass of single malt. Can it get more excruciating? Apple has more cash than the U.S. government.

Amid the chilling anarchy, there’s not a single strong leader to be seen — not even a misguided one. All the leaders are followers. You have to wonder if President Obama at some level doesn’t want to lead. Maybe he just wants to be loved."

Here's what Bill O'Reilly said;

"The only thing that can save Barack Obama at this point is craziness on the right…It’s not only going to hurt the Republican party, which has already been hurt, but it’s going to save President Obama who they hate…The irony is, the people who dislike President Obama the most…are helping him the most. You’ve got to stop this hateful rhetoric. Some of the rhetoric is so hateful…it’d spin your head around. You have to say, listen, we’re at a point in the history when we have to save the country…But I just hope they’ll all just say let’s do what’s good for the country."

O'Reilly is absolutely right. Obama can still energize the power Democratic base by pointing to what will happen if he is defeated. 'After me, the deluge' indeed.

But even that may not be enough to save Obama.

If the Republicans choose a half decent candidate such as Mitt Romney and the economy is still foundering, then Obama is toast .

But if they slew off and follow the siren call of a Michele Bachmann or a Rick Perry then they will lose out badly.

O'Reilly is right, Obama is there for the taking only Republican extremism can save him.

Dowd is right that Obama has gone from 'Yes we can' to 'No we can't. '

But given the current level of hateful rhetoric among Republicans they may fail to defeat the weakest American Democratic president in generations.