Mr. Obama said he planned to do some of that. All of these ex-presidents made their choices under fairly conventional circumstances — what Mr. Obama called “normal back-and-forth, ebb-and-flow of policy.” Taft didn’t come into office promising to erase Roosevelt’s legacy. But these are not conventional circumstances, which is why it’s not surprising that Mr. Obama has no intention of entirely retreating from the political ramparts. Mr. Trump entered politics with the “birther” movement, and his attacks on Mr. Obama’s record have been unprecedentedly harsh. But Mr. Trump’s rhetoric suggesting that Mr. Obama has driven the country into a ditch and that he would make America great again is far beyond the criticism leveled at predecessors.

Source: New York Times January 20, 2017 00:45 UTC