George Will reviews the Obama agenda and concludes: “Addressing Congress last week, the president said he is strengthening government ‘not because I believe in bigger government—I don’t.’ Chant it, everybody: Yes you do.”
It should come as no surprise after the stimulus pork-a-thon that Obama will sign the omnibus spending bill with 8570 earmarks. He’s just not that into change — or challenging the Pelosi-Reid machine.
Charles Krauthammer wants to know what Obama has against the word “democracy” when it comes to Iraq.
Brian Riedl reveals the good, bad and the ugly in the Obama budget. Okay, there’s not really any “good” if you believe in fiscal sobriety, but there are lots of budget tricks, staggering taxes and a huge deficit. Wouldn’t candidate Obama have been appalled?
Marty Peretz says the president has two choices with regard to Chas Freeman — dump him or ignore him. But Obama is the man who thought Rashid Khalidi’s views were worth listening to. Why would he change his modus operandi now?
Roland Burris is running in 2010, according to this. Well, at least he’s raising money — which is a whole different matter.
I’d be curious to know what the “Obama-resistent” investment strategy is. Put your money in a mattress?
Larry Kudlow opines that “until Treasury man Geithner can muster up a credible plan to relieve the financial system of its toxic assets, markets may not ever buy into a recovery scenario. But then you have to ask this: If there is agreement on the need to relieve the toxic-asset problem, why is President Obama raising taxes on the very private investment funds that are expected to buy the toxic assets in the first place?”
The Washington Post is glum: “The global financial rout worsened yesterday, driving U.S. stocks to their lowest level since 1997 amid deepening questions about whether governments around the world are being forceful enough in combating the economic crisis.”
Bill McGurn wants to know why the Democrats are killing vouchers for poor students, such as two of the Obama girls’ classmates. Imagine if Republicans knocked minority kids out of a tony private school.
In case you hadn’t figured it out, corporations don’t pay taxes. People do.
But not all people. Andrew Malcolm on the latest non-paying nominee Ron Kirk: “And, after all, now that he’s caught, Kirk has agreed to pay his back taxes. So what’s the problem? Remember that line next month in case you get caught.”
Virginia Democrats are trying to paint Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob McDonnell as a conservative extremist because he used to talk more about social issues. Except lots of Democrats say nice things about his record as attorney general and McDonnell is talking about bread-and-butter issues. Ah well, painting Barack Obama as a former radical worked out for Republicans despite his campaign rhetoric and demeanor so . . . oh, that’s right. Well I’m sure the Democrats have a Plan B.
According to the Los Angeles Times, Hillary Clinton has Iran pegged: “The Obama administration has already concluded that a diplomatic overture to Iran, one of the central promises of the president’s election campaign, is unlikely to persuade Tehran to give up its nuclear ambitions. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton told the foreign minister of the United Arab Emirates in a private meeting Monday that it is ‘very doubtful’ a U.S. approach will persuade Iran to relent, said a senior State Department official, who spoke on condition of anonymity under customary diplomatic rules.” So we’ll follow the failed “talk, talk, talk” policy of the Bush administration while Iran goes merrily along its way developing nuclear weapons. Quite a price to pay for some good PR.
A devilishly clever plot by the Obama team: push for card check legislation but let Joe Biden be the “front man.” Really. Given the president’s unconcealed low regard for his VP, it would speak volumes about how card check ranks on the administration’s list of priorities.
