Speeches Are Not Enough for Obama to Succeed  He’s got a great
fastball, but he needs other pitches.   Mariano Rivera is the
greatest closer in baseball history. For a dozen years, baseball
fans have known that his arrival in a close ballgame virtually
guarantees a New York Yankees victory.  What makes Rivera's
dominance more astounding is the fact that his repertoire
consists of a single pitch, the cut fastball. Prolonged Major
League pitching success usually involves more than one type of
pitch. Rivera is different. Batters know what's coming, but they
still can't hit him.  Presidents are like pitchers. Success
requires doing several things well; they cannot rely on one
political skill. Their effectiveness is ultimately a function of
their ability to exercise all elements of presidential power.
Which brings us to Barack Obama, who might be as near as
professional politics has to a Mariano Rivera. Obama has ridden
a single pitch—speechmaking—to the pinnacle of politics. He
spoke his way to the White House a