The Fast Fix: Obama goes big

President Obama has a new political strategy: go BIG!

From the moment President Obama announced the death of Osama bin Laden Sunday night, he has adopted a simple political mantra: be big.

Not big as in tall but big as in magnanimous. Big as in inclusive.

Obama's speech announcing bin Laden's death was somber and serious without any partisan cheerleading.

His invitation to George W. Bush to join him at a wreath-laying at the Ground Zero was widely praised even though the former President declined.

And, in explaining his decision not to release a photo of a deceased bin Laden Obama cited a shared set of American values -- in keeping with his broader appeal to our better angels.

Going big isn't for everyone. South Carolina Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham said that the decision to keep the photo private was a mistake. So did liberal Washington Post columnist Gene Robinson.

But, past political history tells us that presidents are at their best when they cast themselves as above-the-fray leaders in moments of national crisis or catharsis.

Ronald Reagan was the master of being big. And Bill Clinton's best moments as president were when he was using his gift for empathy to connect to the common American experience.

Polling done in the immediate aftermath of Bin Laden's death showed Obama's approval numbers jumping anywhere from 5 to 11 points.

That bump will almost certainly wear off. What Obama and the White House hopes is that a sense of Obama as a leader gives him an image boost heading into 2012.

You know who else needs an image boost? Donald Trump

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