Will we ever dispose of the plastic that shields our top political figures? This came to mind when President Obama appeared on The View television program.

His handlers read the polls that show he has lost the support of millions of women. And so they did the natural thing. They booked him on a show that is watched by millions of women. Later that day he ate at a sub shop. This was because the polls also showed that too many folks figure he is not “one of us.” That he comes across as regal, aloof, elitist.

This is what was behind his quaffing a beer with the cop he maligned in the racial incident. All within camera view, of course. This is what is behind his eating burgers at a fast food place with the Russian leader, their sleeves rolled up.

The night after The View he dined with a lot of rich and sophisticated types. But the handlers prohibited all cameras at that fancy dinner. This is because he has been seen, on camera, at too many posh events lately. The polls tell the handlers ...

Now, I am not criticizing the president over this. Various of our leaders do the same thing. They do what their handlers tell them to do. And the handlers decide what they should do based on what the polls tell them. This is why John Kerry was suddenly wind surfing. The polls must have told the handlers a lot of folks saw him as a wimp.

It is why Joe Biden told us to check things out the way he did all the time at his local diner. (Which had been closed for several years – something Joe did not check out.) It is why handlers got the first President Bush into a supermarket. He flubbed it by asking what the scanner was. You would too if you had never been in a supermarket before.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have a leader decide what to do for an unusual reason: He damned well wants to?

That in itself would catch everybody’s attention. The handlers would wet themselves over this. “You’ll never guess what he is planning. He is telling us he actually wants to do what HE wants to do. Have you ever heard of anything so ridiculous?”

Our top leaders cannot wear clothes they prefer. They cannot eat where they want. This president cannot smoke in public. Clinton got bad press when he chowed down on fried chicken. His handlers put an end to that.