Let’s get one thing out of the way; Obama’s speech in Arizona at the service for the victims of the recent shooting was terrific. It was articulate, sorely needed, and absolutely vintage Obama. The American President at his best. And, as others have repeatedly commented, Obama’s speech was an opportunity for him to express and embody the kind of nonpartisan, collegial politics he believes so strongly in.

The danger for the upcoming policy struggles is that the President fixates on this particular example of a time when that favored approach was appropriate and needed, and glosses over the dozen or so times during the last two years when it wasn’t. This wouldn’t be a danger if Obama were as pragmatic as he, his aides, and most of the political observer class insist he is. In fact, his problem is that he is quite the opposite of pragmatic; he is dogmatic.

Before going further, it’s important to remember what the definition of pragmatic actually is, versus how it’s come to be defined by the punditry and the Washington elite. Go to dictionary.com and the first definition that appears is “of or pertaining to a practical point of view or practical considerations.” What it does not mean is political moderate or centrist. Those are ideological qualifiers.

But they are reflective of the most common political ideology among the pundit classes, most of whom themselves are centrists. The thinking from their point of view, therefore goes “I’m practical, I’m a centrist, therefore pragmatism equals centrism.” Simplistic is the word for that kind of thinking. Lazy is another one.

The simple fact is that the President has approached the challenges of governing a bitterly divided Washington in a profoundly non-pragmatic way. With occasional minor deviations in rhetoric when speaking to the partisan crowds that worked to elect him, Obama approaches every policy challenge by applying his transcendent, nonpartisan vision. It is his only tool, and like any tool, sometimes it is the right one for the job, sometimes it isn’t. And when it isn’t, the President has seemed incapable of acknowledging that fact, and instead continues futily to pound the square peg into the round hole.

A pragmatic approach would be to assess each political challenge on its own merits, weighing the individual dynamics of any given situation and choosing the best course of action. There are challenges that call for the President’s preferred, idealized method of partisan transcendence. On the other hand, there are plenty of circumstances in governing that call for a more hard-edged, combative approach.

This is the essence of pragmatism; choosing the right political tool for the right political job, irrespective of ideological preference. Insisting on a one-size-fits-all approach, as the President does, is pure dogmatism.

President Obama should not misconstrue the universal praise he is receiving for rising above the fray and bringing people together over the grisly events in Arizona as a vindication of his political dogma. Instead, the secret to success is what it’s always been: it’s time to become a genuine pragmatist.