Obama’s failure to communicate

So it’s about not telling us good enough stories.

That’s how the president sees his main mistake in his first term.

President Obama tells CBS News that the biggest mistake of his first term boils down to communication with the public: emphasizing policy over storytelling.

“When I think about what we’ve done well and what we haven’t done well, the mistake of my first term — couple of years — was thinking that this job was just about getting the policy right,” Obama told CBS This Morning anchor Charlie Rose in an interview taped today.

“And that’s important,” Obama said. “But the nature of this office is also to tell a story to the American people that gives them a sense of unity and purpose and optimism, especially during tough times.”

Wait. With all due respect, Mr. President, we know our story and from whence our unity and purpose come, and for what we have real and authentic hope.

Mitt Romney chimed in, saying in a statement that, “President Obama believes that millions of Americans have lost their homes, their jobs and their livelihood because he failed to tell a good story. Being president is not about telling stories. Being president is about leading, and President Obama has failed to lead. No wonder Americans are losing faith in his presidency.”

Republican spokeswoman Kirsten Kukowski said Obama’s economic policies are the problem.

“With 23 million people struggling under our slow economy, the decision for voters isn’t ‘can the president tell a good story,'” Kukowski said. “It’s ‘can the president create jobs?'”

And how much of his signature healthcare overhaul will impact that. There’s a story voters would like to hear.