He needs a servant in his chariot reminding him that he's not an immortal. Of course, after the debate the entire Democratic Party told him he's a dud. Wrong again. He's neither lord nor commoner. He's just an above-average politician who needs a very good night in one of the next two debates.

2. He was weighed down by the burdens of office.

Ah yes, the burdens of office. Like going on "The View" while meeting with not a single foreign leader at the U.N. Like flying to a Vegas campaign rally the day after a U.S. consulate is sacked and the ambassador murdered. Like rushing off to New York for a night with Jay-Z and Beyonce.

Rocky Mountain altitude is a better excuse than that. (Thank you, Al Gore.)

3. Reductionism.

Stephanie Cutter and David Axelrod both said (amazing coincidence) that Romney won on "style points."

So, the most charismatic politician since Pierre Elliot Trudeau was beaten by an android--on style? I concede that Obama's reaction shots were awful. But he lost on radio too. And in print. Read the transcript. This wasn't about appearances. Romney didn't win on style. He won on an avalanche of substance, on a complete takedown of six months of Obama portraying Romney as enemy of the middle class, friend and footman of the rich.

That was the heart of the Obama campaign. After all, with crushing debt, chronically high unemployment, and the worst economic recovery since World War II, Obama can't run on stewardship. Nor on the future. He has no serious agenda. Nothing on entitlements, nothing on tax reform, nothing on debt, nothing on the fiscal cliff.

So when Romney completely deflated that six-month "kill Romney" strategy--by looking reasonable, responsible, authoritative in demonstrating how his policies would help the middle class by stimulating economic growth--what did Obama have left?