Line of the Day

Don't be fooled by Bob Gates staying on. Obama didn't get elected to manage Afghanistan.
- Charles Krauthammer

For those of you divining the intent of Obama’s cabinet picks, it’s shaping up like this: Since he has no experience nor driving passion for foreign policy (leave the community organizing to the 3rd Infantry Division), he is content to farm-out that role to members of the two previous Administrations so he can concentrate on radically transforming the private/government economic dynamic here at home.

We’ll freely admit that we were one of those that felt a silver lining of the financial crisis and recession was that it would put a check on any of Obama’s grander designs regarding universal health care, not-ready-for-market energy policies and massive Depression-era and Depression-lengthening public works programs. How things change. The events of the last six months or so have leveled virtually any and all preconceived notions regarding what the government will do to save itself from the (excesses) of itself.

The Keynesian model that provides the intellectual fuel behind Obama’s stimulus package is even turned on its ear as it’s supposed to be: run a surplus during the good times to be able to spend during the bad times. Unfortunately, we’ve spent, spent, spent and bailed, bailed, bailed on rainy days, sunny days, good times and bad and thus have effectively eliminated the concept of “pain” from our cultural vocabulary.


Of course, Obama and his $1 trillion spending plan (that David Brooks likens to “This Old House”) had it’s John the Baptist, the man who would set the table, socialize the masses to “change” and herald the arrival of the Messiah. Unfortunately, this person who has been the point man for this new dawn of Fabian Socialism is none other than the man we voted for President in the last two elections. And to think some scoffed when we casually dropped the Bush III term.

H/T: KT