Speaking with Al Sharpton yesterday on the radio, President Obama “giftwrapped” (in the words of the Washington Post) a sound bite for GOP challengers to use against Mary Landrieu, Mark Begich, Mark Udall, and other Democrats desperate to flee from the president’s unpopularity among voters.  

In an interview with Rev. Al Sharpton on Monday, Obama defended his support for candidates in top races who haven't welcomed Obama to campaign with them.

"The bottom line is, though, these are are all folks who vote with me; they have supported my agenda in Congress," Obama said.

He continued: "So this isn't about my feelings being hurt. These are folks who are strong allies and supporters of me. I tell them -- I said, you do what you need to do to win. I will be responsible for making sure that our voters turn out."

The president has just let the world know that candidates are welcome to fool the voters that they aren’t “strong allies and supporters,” but he knows better, that he is still their partner in driving voters to the polls.

Why is he doing this?

The first possible explanation is that his denial (“this isn't about my feelings being hurt’) is like the classic line, “This isn’t about money” – a ‘tell” that it is indeed about his feelings being hurt. If you listen to the audio, perhaps you can hear a slight edge to his voice. He is rather a narcissist, and is well known to have a thin skin when it comes to criticism.

A second alterative explanation is that he wants a GOP Senate, or at least is reconciled to that possibility, so as to give him a foil, something to blame for the many failures ahead, and to justify unilateral actions. Perhaps he even looks forward to an impeachment move, having seen how well that worked out for Bill Clinton.

Narcissistic rage or Machiavellian maneuver? Your guess is as good as mine.