Stimulus
Sending Obama to Rewrite
It’s often been remarked that President Obama’s speeches are much less interesting in print than when spoken. For all his reputation as a master communicator, Obama’s words fall flat when not borne aloft by his excellent oratory. As an example, his singularly unimpressive op-ed in yesterday’s Washington Post is vague where it should be specific, and where specific, wrong. As a guide to Obama’s economic thinking, it is worrisome. Obama’s errors begin at the beginning: “By now,” Obama opens, “it’s clear to everyone that we have inherited an economic crisis as deep and dire as any since the days of the Great Depression.” This is untrue. The early-1980s recession was worse than where we presently stand. Unemployment was nearly 11 percent; it’s about 7.5 percent now. Inflation was running at 13.5 percent in the earlier recession but is not at present much of a problem, though it may be if we push a mountain of new spending through Congress. GDP fell more sharply in the 1980s than it has in the current recession. Obama is exaggerating the problem for dramatic effect. “What Americans expect from Washington,” the president continues, “is action that matches the urgency they feel in their daily lives—action that’s swift, bold and wise enough for us to climb out of this crisis.” Obama’s plan, which amounts to channeling a trillion dollars into pet Democratic causes ranging from digital-TV coupons to art programs, and calling the resulting assemblage “stimulus,” is neither particularly swift nor particularly bold. The Congressional Budget Office reports that most of the discretionary spending won’t happen until 2011—so much for “swift.” If jacking up the burn rate for familiar federal handouts is “bold,” boldness should be made of sterner stuff. As for “wise”—our economy faces many challenges, but an excessively thrifty federal government is not one of them. “Sending Obama to Rewrite” By Kevin Williamson 2/6 4:00 AM

 Obama Administration
All the President’s Men, Too
The paranoid thriller is a Hollywood staple, especially during Republican administrations. You know, the one where an innocent man who looks remarkably like Pinch Sulzberger is being hounded by sinister forces, all of whom look remarkably like Richard Nixon. Cars mysteriously blow up, friends vanish, telephones are tapped until our beleaguered hero finally realizes it’s all a sinister government plot that only the New York Times can expose. I’m thinking of such films as Three Days of the Condor, The Parallax View, Winter Kills, and, of course, All the President’s Men.Those days are gone, especially now that we on the left have realized that the CIA has been on our side all along. For years, we assumed Langley was the heart of darkness, until along came Joe Wilson and his super-top-secret wife-cum-Vanity Fair model, Valerie Plame. Then the scales fell from our eyes: They hate Bush too! If and when Jason Bourne comes back, it will be as a heroic Agency black op, a liberal Jack Bauer who singlehandedly closes Gitmo while personally delivering Khalid Sheik Mohammed to some very special friends in a particularly dark corner of Egypt and then showing up in black tie to dine on wagyu steak at the White House. The film would end as Matt Damon leans over and whispers something in Obama’s ear; the president nods and they both share a good chuckle as the credits roll and a Kanye West rap song bursts from the soundtrack. “All the President’s Men, Too” By David Kahane 2/3 12:00 PM

 Congress
Steele’s Challenge
On winning the chairmanship of the Republican National Committee, Michael Steele pledged to “bring this party to every corner, every boardroom, every neighborhood, every community.” He was engaging in rhetorical stretch: Given its limited resources, the RNC cannot literally go everywhere. But his aspiration makes political sense. On the congressional level, Republicans have to expand their reach, because Democrats currently have a bigger playing field.Democrats can contest just about every kind of House district: rich and poor, rural and urban, black and white. Last year, Montgomery mayor Bobby Bright won an Alabama district that had belonged to the GOP since 1965. In the First District of Idaho, which President Bush twice carried by 2-to-1 margins, Democrat Walt Minnick ousted Republican incumbent Bill Sali. The list goes on. “Steele’s Challenge” By John J. Pitney Jr. 2/3 4:00 AM

 Congress
A Good Loss
Hot Springs, Va. — “Thank you for the vote you took this week,” former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney told an assembly of Republican House members, who responded with a cheer. “We want you to know that we’re proud of you.”Romney was addressing a late-January retreat of the House Republican Conference—whose members were strangely jubilant, considering that their party is now officially out of power in both chambers of Congress. Last week’s show of Republican unanimity against House Democrats’ $819-billion stimulus package has done wonders for morale in the House GOP. The bill passed 244-188, without a single Republican vote, and with 11 Democrats voting against. “A Good Loss” By David Freddoso 2/2 7:00 AM

 States
Winning Colorblind
With all eyes trained on Tuesday’s New Hampshire primary and last week’s Iowa caucus, a Missouri court earlier this week handed down a major win to supporters of colorblind government. As they attempt to pass a ballot initiative barring government preferences based on race, sex, or ethnicity, Ward Connerly and other campaigners had to fight in court to prevent their measure from being deliberately misrepresented on the ballot. The question revolves around the wording that will be posed to voters in November. Normally, the Secretary of State is responsible for writing this copy, but Judge Richard Callahan’s ruling rejected the language proposed by Democratic Secretary of State Robin Carnahan. Instead, Judge Callahan adopted wording almost identical to what the initiative’s supporters had proposed. “Winning Colorblind” By David Freddoso 1/10 7:30 AM

 Congress
Dangerous Congressional Precedent
As they left town for Christmas, Congress passed an unprecedented end-of-the-year appropriations bill with billions in wasteful spending designed principally to benefit incumbent members of Congress. This bill includes thousands of self-serving Member-directed spending projects and displays total disregard for both legislative process and the Constitution. Though civics teaches that both Houses of Congress must pass a bill before it can be presented to the president for his signature to become law, this did not happen. Instead the House, fearful of political fallout, used trickery so members could avoid voting on the actual bill as it passed the Senate. A dangerous precedent. The 3,417-page bill (34 pounds) was dropped barely 20 hours before final consideration by the House. It included 9,170 member-directed spending projects. Over 300 of these had never been made public, seen by rank-and-file Members, or passed by either House. Combined with the 2,161 passed earlier, Members gave themselves a total of 11,331 self-serving projects, costing Americans over $20 billion this year. During a season of goodwill, this bill, and those who crammed it through Congress, showed none toward American taxpayers, their children, or grandchildren. “Dangerous Congressional Precedent” By John Shadegg 1/10 7:00 AM

 Education
Unhappy Birthday
Today the No Child Left Behind Act turns six, and even as President Bush and other supporters sing “Happy Birthday,” the time has come to blow out the candles on it for good.Since NCLB’s enactment in 2002, its supporters have been quick to credit it for anything even resembling improvement in American education, whether upticks in history knowledge (with which the law doesn’t deal), or improved math and reading scores. President Bush typified the whole always-declare-success strategy at an NCLB birthday bash Monday in Chicago when, at the outset of his speech, he declared simply, “I know No Child Left Behind has worked.” “Unhappy Birthday” By Neal McCluskey 1/8 2:30 PM

 2008
Is McCain Back?
Sen. John McCain is surging in the polls and could win two early primary states. “Is McCain Back?” By Mark Hemingway 12/21 11:30 AM