Barack Obama delivering his speech on the final day of the Democratic National Convention (Tom Pennington/AFP/Getty Images)


Remember Obambi, the candidate Democrats were afraid would be too nice and genteel and get eviscerated by the Republican attack machine?

Well if this 2012 campaign proves anything, it is that Obambi is dead.

He has been replaced by O’Rambo, the President who is mad as hell and is not going to take it any more.

O’Rambo comes out out firing and doesn't take prisoners. He believes in a scorched earth policy, destroy the village to save it if necessary.

Obama's speech last night at the Democratic National Convention was for the red hot meat eaters, not for the faint of heart.

It was pretty much a lengthy diatribe against Mitt Romney, excoriating, slamming, criticizing and sticking the presidential boot in.

All that was missing was a Romney pinata and a baseball bat. I'm not sure it worked.

Sure, the President has to go on the offensive but it is a sign of his own lack of accomplishment that he wants to mud wrestle rather than engage on a policy level.

The foreign policy attacks were effective sure, especially on Romney's inane focus on Russia as our major foreign policy villain, but I think few voters will be swayed by such a concern.

It is obvious what the polls are telling the Obama people. Define Romney, drag him down, before America gets a full view of him.

This is bare knuckle politics, nothing to do with dream aspirations.

Obambi had those, and Obambi got shot somewhere between inauguration in 2008 and the Republican attack dogs getting unleashed.

Obama’s speech was not the best of the convention. It was not even second best or third.

Bill Clinton stole the show, the old dog for the hard road, Michelle won the hearts and minds, and Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown law student called a slut by Rush Limbaugh, stole the show after her prime time

speech.

So Obama, who ran a poetic campaign full of hope and promise last time has now become the lumbering grizzly,older and more dangerous, much more likely to attack if approached. I'm sure it is what the pollsters are telling him, but it is a sad reflection on American politics nowadays that the only defense is attack and that hopes and dreams are for sissies.

Welcome to the mud pit Mr. President.