WASHINGTON — So much drama: death and taxes, a Supreme Court vacancy and the beastly election looming over us all. Color in conservative religion to confuse things. All the public players are onstage except for one offstage, an actor who did not play his part as president well in 2016.

His name is Barack Obama. He lives within the city limits. You'll be glad to know he's finished his second brilliant memoir, "A Promised Land." Ironic title, considering the sad shape we're in with the pandemic, economy and Supreme Court. Not to mention revelations about President Donald Trump's taxes leaving even the battle-hardened among us gobsmacked. $750?

Oh, it grieves my liberal heart to say the fixes we're in could have been prevented by "No-Drama Obama." An ironic nickname. Once sunny, the American play turned to Greek tragedy, a classic tale of one character's hubris — pride that made the gods angry.

For all his talents, Democratic Obama failed to lock in a worthy successor, a second President Clinton.

We all know it: Obama did not fight for his own Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland. He let him twist in the wind for months in 2016. As president, it's up to him to confront Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., for obstructing the Constitution. McConnell, in a shrewd power play, dared Obama to stand up for Garland's right to a hearing and a vote.

But our man of reason, Obama, never did engage. A mild-mannered surrender to McConnell foreshadowed what was to come. He shrugged. Hillary Clinton was going to win the race for president anyway.

Let's talk about that. Clinton didn't win anyway, but, in a stunner, lost to Trump. He won two-thirds of the white male vote. (Thanks, guys.) She could have run a better campaign, but a kickoff in Wisconsin's Green Bay got canceled because of a Florida mass shooting.

The truth is Clinton lost, in part, because Obama did not campaign that hard for her. In three battleground states that Trump narrowly won — Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin — Black turnout was low in the big cities of Detroit, Philadelphia and Milwaukee. Obama could have energized Black voters in those cities and shored up Black support in general. I wonder why he didn't try.

It's simple: Obama plays politics as a solo artist, not as a team sport. He's the star at center stage, speaking inspired lines. He's slow to lend his luster out to other Democrats, not even to prevent a House tea party takeover. (An aside: He doesn't like to listen to other people's speeches.)

But Hillary was going to win anyway: a Greek chorus. Obama's White House said so. Pollster Nate Silver suggested it was done and dusted. The historic succession was a given.

We know what else Obama did to hurt Clinton, as 2016's drama played out. In a fatal error, Obama had appointed Republican James Comey head of the FBI. There are consequences — for others — for being aloof from your own party as president.

As the Showtime show "The Comey Rule" reminds us, Comey inflicted harm on Clinton not once but twice, at critical points in the summer and fall of 2016, making announcements about not investigating her e-mails. Meanwhile, Comey stayed mum about the Russian investigation, telling the American people nothing. A preening, pious troublemaker.

Presidents must be measured on what endures, how their records stand the test of time. Strong ones often have a loyal successor to cement their legacy. Obama's was dismantled brick by brick by Trump on climate, immigration and international treaties such as the Iran nuclear deal.

In sum, Obama is not a team player. But politics is a team contact sport. His party paid a devastating price for his not playing hard to win for the team, losing in the Supreme Court and the presidency.

His crown jewel, the Affordable Care Act, comes before the Supreme Court on Nov. 10, a week after the election. With the Trumpian fall fashions on the Court bench, it may be struck down. That act would be the final cruel blow to Obama's shattered legacy.

An American Aeschylus could not write a better Greek tragedy.

Jamie Stiehm can be reached at JamieStiehm.com. To read her weekly column and find out more about Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, please visit creators.com.

Photo credit: janeb13 at Pixabay