Is the Washington Post losing that loving feeling for President Obama?

Consider the following headline and subsequent article posted by Anne Kornblut at the paper's "44" blog Friday:

Obama's 17-minute, 2,500-word response to woman's claim of being 'over-taxed'

This headline changed when her piece was published in Saturday's paper on page A2, but the seemingly sad song remained the same:

Even by President Obama's loquacious standards, an answer he gave here on health care Friday was a doozy.

Toward the end of a question-and-answer session with workers at an advanced battery technology manufacturer, a woman named Doris stood to ask the president whether it was a "wise decision to add more taxes to us with the health care" package.

"We are overtaxed as it is," Doris said bluntly

Kornblut continued:

He then spent the next 17 minutes and 12 seconds lulling the crowd into a daze. His discursive answer -- more than 2,500 words long -- wandered from topic to topic, including commentary on the deficit, pay-as-you-go rules passed by Congress, Congressional Budget Office reports on Medicare waste, COBRA coverage, the Recovery Act and Federal Medical Assistance Percentages (he referred to this last item by its inside-the-Beltway name, "F-Map"). [...]

Halfway through, an audience member on the riser yawned.

She concluded:

His wandering approach might not matter if Obama weren't being billed as the chief salesman of the health-care overhaul. Public opinion on the bill remains divided, and Democratic officials are planning to send Obama into the country to convince wary citizens that it will work for them in the long run.

It was not evident that he changed any minds at Friday's event. The audience sat politely, but people in the back of the room began to wander off.

Even Obama seemed to recognize that he had gone on too long. He apologized -- in keeping with the spirit of the moment, not once, but twice. "Boy, that was a long answer. I'm sorry," he said, drawing nervous laughter that sounded somewhat like relief as he wrapped up.

But, he said: "I hope I answered your question."

Commentary's Jennifer Rubin noted Sunday:

The mainstream media is slowly waking up to the fact that Obama is a bore. No, really. He’s long since stopped saying anything new or interesting, and he talks constantly, at great length.

Indeed. Of course, many on the right noticed this during the campaign well before he was named Democrat presidential nominee.

If only the media had actually listened to what he was saying back then and NOT just gotten caught up in the ether of Hope and Change.

Better late than never, huh?