Over at his new perch at the Washington Post, Bill Kristol picks up on President Obama’s admission that the “stimulus” bill he is advocating is really a traditional (if gargantuan) spending bill. Kristol’s counsel to the GOP is this:

Insist on splitting the legislation being debated on the Senate floor into a true short-term stimulus, which can pass quickly, and long-term policy proposals, which require serious debate.

Republicans can then offer their own legislation that includes pro-growth tax cuts, housing measures, a few targeted spending provisions, unemployment, and COBRA extensions, which in comparison with Obama’s plan, looks serious, principled, and might actually help the American economy.

It’s an ingenious idea, and Republicans ought to embrace it.

It turns out Barack Obama is a tonic for the GOP.