Posted on 02/28/2009 2:29:58 PM PST by Steelfish
FEBRUARY 26, 2009
Obama: The CliffsNotes Decoding the president.
By KIMBERLEY A. STRASSEL
Any high-school kid with a set of CliffsNotes knows Moby Dick is so much more than just a whale. Any American watching the new administration might wish for a similar study guide.
Thirty-nine days, one press conference, one congressional address, and one budget into this presidency, Barack Obama is finding his groove.
Out of the early chaos has emerged an administration with a set of talking points. The president is now honing these explanations of what went wrong, and how he will make it right.
Yet, as with any complex character, what Mr. Obama says isn't always what he means. (Even Melville would've found Washington a bit deep.)
So here's a handy guide to the larger meaning beneath Mr. Obama's more frequent lines. Hang it on the fridge for easy reference.
- "We are not going to get relief by turning back to the very same policies that for the last eight years doubled the national debt and threw our economy into a tailspin." Translation: Blame Republicans, and tax cuts.
Mr. Obama inherited a deficit, though it wasn't caused by letting Americans keep more of their paychecks. It was caused by a need to rebuild the military to fight two wars (at least one of which he supported), and by that worn-out old idea known as spending, which lost the GOP its majority, and which Mr. Obama is now touting as economic elixir.
He also inherited a recession, though no economist with an IQ above 60 would suggest tax cuts caused the housing bubble. That came courtesy of easy money and loose lending standards, the latter of which Congress encouraged.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Here’s the A_F_D Notes on Obama:
Wrong about everything.
Typo. That should be "lies."
That was a post from two nights ago and garnered seven whole comments. How about letting it see the light of day before screaming DUPLICATE POST!!!!!!!! If the mods think this is too soon to post it again they’ll lock it.
Life - Get one
>>Mr. Obama’s more frequent lines.
>
>Typo. That should be “lies.”
With this president does it matter?
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