Newspaper apologizes for endorsing Obama in 2008

That bad, huh? Newspaper so disappointed in Obama it apologizes for 2008 endorsement

President Obama has so far been a major disappointment to even his most ardent supporters, his approval numbers steadily falling to fresh lows.

And the president is apparently such a disappointment, that the Billings Gazette in Montana felt compelled last week to apologize to its readers for endorsing him in 2008 over Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz.

At least we were “winning battles in Iraq" when George W. Bush was president, reads the editorial, titled “Gazette opinion: Obama earned the low ratings."

Not so with President Obama.

The editorial contained a list of what the paper's editors consider the president's mistakes:

— The scandal over NSA spying on Americans

— Obama's "war on carbon" and his failure to approve the Keystone XL pipeline.

— The failure of diplomacy in Iraq that put the country on the brink of civil war.

— The Bowe Bergdahl swap, which made the administration seem incompetent.

— Mismanagement of the Department of Veterans Affairs that led to to veterans dying before they could receive medical care.

— Obama breaking his promise to become the “most transparent administration in history.” The Gazette said the president's administration is so opaque that is has earned a reputation worse than that of Richard Nixon.

— The failure of Obamacare, which the paper called a "boondoggle."

These are all signs — none of them definitive on their own, necessarily. However, when taken in completely, these demonstrate a disturbing trend of incompetence and failure. It's not just that Americans are in a sour mood about national politics. That's probably part of it. Instead, Obama has become another in a line of presidents long on rhetoric and hopelessly short on action.

Obama's hope and change have left liberals and conservatives alike hoping for real change, not just more lofty rhetoric.

Apologizing for an endorsement from 2008? Well, better late than never.