Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has drawn criticism for comparing President Obama to the disgraced captain of the Costa Concordia, which ran aground and resulted in the deaths of numerous passengers. Priebus made the remarks yesterday while appearing on CBS' Face the Nation.

During a radio interview last Tuesday, Fox News host Mike Huckabee also compared Obama to Captain Francesco Schettino, telling Chicago radio station WLS:

HUCKABEE: Anybody on that [debate] stage could basically walk in and if they have a pulse, they will do a better job of getting America's ship back on course than Barack Obama, who has taken us off course. He may be the captain of the Costa Concordia for America's economy. [WLS, Don Wade & Roma, 1/24/12]

Similarly, in a January 29 opinion piece for The Washington Times, columnist Rebecca Hagelin wrote that Obama's “response is eerily similar to the Italian captain's”:

The captain allegedly deviated from the proven course to pursue his own agenda. He maneuvered too close to the rocky shoreline, and nature did the rest, resulting in a crippling tear to the ship's hull. Worse, as the ship began to list, according to news reports, the captain denied fault, failed to summon rescuers or direct a safe evacuation, and eventually jumped ship ahead of his panicked passengers. His actions cost precious lives and untold millions of dollars.

Now think of last week's State of the Union address by President Obama. His “fairness” rhetoric obscures the calamitous journey we've endured under his leadership, a journey devastating to American workers, families and institutions. And his response is eerily similar to the Italian captain's.

Mr. Obama redirects blame, pointing fingers at Congress and Republicans for America's fiscal problems. He convenes feasts for his Hollywood friends in the White House “Wonderland” and admires America's decaying moral fabric. He won't rescue the American economy, preferring to shackle business with onerous regulations and confiscatory taxes. He also has insulated himself from the devastating effects of his own policies.

It's only a matter of time until he jumps into his own secure lifeboat of pensions, book deals and board memberships.

While our “captain” deludes himself about our problems - and solutions - America's ship founders on the rough shoals of energy dependence, empty public coffers and disappearing jobs. The ship is sinking, people are drowning, and the captain can't lead.

Hagelin went on to endorse former Sen. Rick Santorum for president -- or as she put it, “a new captain for our ship.”