"The delay is wreaking havoc with print scheduling and of course budget planning," an insider told me.  "The enormous advance is starting to raise concerns within the publisher.  While Michelle's book performed well, Obama needs to deliver the book and sales to make the overall deal worthwhile."

This is not the first time Obama failed to deliver on a book deadline.  In the summer of 1993, Simon & Schuster lost patience with Obama, canceled the contract it had awarded him two years earlier, and demanded the advance back.  To get out of debt and save his future, Obama had to do something.