The great empath chose to put himself in this absurd position.
Agreed. Actually, any president "chooses" to put himself in difficult positions.... it's more a matter of their reasons for doing so.
Some, such as Ronald Reagan, do so primarily out of of duty. Obama's (and Clinton's) reasons included a significant component of self-gratification. And in Obama's case, I think narcissism plays an unduly large role both in his decision to run, and in his subsequent behavior.
Obama's position is indeed absurd; but Obama almost certainly does not see it that way.