The drool-soaked lips seem to be losing their pucker.

President Obama’s quixotic “This is a huge mess to so-LET’S BUILD A WINDMILL!” speech is receiving all of the critical acclaim of a “Billy Ray & Miley Sing Wagner” special.

The BBC reports of Barack Obama’s speech last night are about as derisive as it would be possible to be about someone you were describing only a few months ago as the incarnation of Hope and Optimism. Yes indeed, the romance is over. The British media have decided that it was all a cruel deception: Obama is just one more ranting populist president who will do anything to divert attention from his own failure to get a grip.

Et tu, euro-fawners?

As stunning as it is that those who have had the luxury of loving Obama from a distance (the easiest way) are hurtling head-first off the bandwagon, MSNBC’s criticism must have all the heads in Lightbringer Land spinning today.

Until now, the only remotely negative comments uttered from anyone at MSNBC regarding the president have had to do with the fact that he wasn’t moving far enough left on a variety of issues. And most of those have been issued with a perfunctory dig at George W. Bush.

Last night’s thoroughly pedestrian and belated effort from the Oval Office prompted the cacophonous apologists at MSNBC to question Obama’s leadership. In fact, it was the first time in Obamic history that Chris Matthews got through a post-speech assessment with dry pants.

Olbermann: “It was a great speech if you were on another planet for the last 57 days.”

Matthews compared Obama to Carter.

Olbermann: “Nothing specific at all was said.”

Matthews: “No direction.”

Howard Fineman: “He wasn’t specific enough.”

Olbermann: “I don’t think he aimed low, I don’t think he aimed at all. It’s startling.”

Howard Fineman: Obama should be acting like a “commander-in-chief.”

Matthews: Ludicrous that he keeps saying [Secretary of Energy] Chu has a Nobel prize. “I’ll barf if he does it one more time.”

Matthews: “A lot of meritocracy, a lot of blue ribbon talk.”

Matthews: “I don’t sense executive command.”

(There are no juicy Rachel Maddow quotes because she was busy doing a glowing story about Kim Jong-il and the North Korean soccer team. WhatEVS, comrade!)

The most surreal moment of the night may have been hearing Chris Matthews questioning where the president gets the authority to force BP to set up an escrow account.

Yeah, he’s overreaching too much for them now.

No one really expects this lucidity to take hold at MSNBC. The most likely outcome is that they’ll all co-host a special called, “Why George W. Bush Made Us Behave Like Racist Teabaggers One Night”.