So, President Obama held forth for an hour on national television tonight to sell his so-called "economic stimulus" plan. The transcript confirms further what we've been seeing for weeks now as he and congressional Democrats try to ram their scheme down our throats: the only way they can get this thing passed is through brazen falsehoods and the hope that the public won't wake up in time.
This, for example, is flatly untrue:
"It also contains an unprecedented level of transparency and accountability so that every American will be able to go online and see where and how we're spending every dime. What it does not contain, however, is a single pet project, not a single earmark, and it has been stripped of the projects members of both parties found most objectionable."
This is a misleading strawman:
"And if there's anyone out there who still doesn't believe this constitutes a full-blown crisis, I suggest speaking to one of the millions of Americans whose lives have been turned upside-down because they don't know where their next paycheck is coming from."
Every day brings new revelations of cunning leftist provisions tucked into the package, like a stealth strategy to assert unprecedented control over our medical choices.
If it was all so good, they wouldn't have to lie.
Congress, just say no.
Our new president may off to a bad beginning on more than pure politics and policy. Karl Rove advises us to watch out for the behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts aspects - for example, staffing and cubicles.
Aides say Mr. Obama believes the cabinet structure is "outdated." His appointment of czars to oversee technology, automotive and environmental policies underscores this belief because each new czar weakens cabinet and agency involvement in policy decisions. The White House has always had overlapping lines of authority, which creates a certain amount of conflict while everyone figures out who really has clout. But Mr. Obama has added to the confusion by making declarations that multiple people in his cabinet or on his staff have more authority and responsibility than their predecessors. In addition to creating a protracted power struggle within the West Wing, Mr. Obama's management decisions may lead to more intrusive, larger government policies gaining traction. Why? Because left-leaning aides will be unimpeded by the White House's budget director or cabinet secretaries as they push new policies.It is rumored that as many as 160 people will be in the West Wing under Mr. Obama. Under President George W. Bush there were about 60. My old, modest-sized office has been carved into four cubicles. This reduces the space for ad hoc meetings in personal offices, where so much West Wing work once took place.
The space crunch comes because Mr. Obama has moved several positions that once had offices in the EEOB into the West Wing. These include public liaison, intergovernmental affairs and political affairs. This reflects the importance he places on these offices' marketing efforts.