Walking and Chewing Gum

I love how the latest "insight" in the media is building and gathering steam. "Obama is too ambitious.." "The Economy isnt a part time crisis..." "The American People can only handle so much change...." "Stem Cells are not a national priority right now...."

Do they imagine that the man sits in the Oval Control Room...immediately adjacent to the Oval Office of course (pay no attention to the man behind the curtain)...and is furiously fiddling with dials and controls like some sort of Executive One Man Band?

The dude had TWO years to hone a policy position on just about everything he felt was important. He had HOARDS of people working on them. These people are now implementing his policy FOR HIM. Sure...he shows up and signs...he takes reports etc along the way...but c'mon.

His mind was made up on the Stem Cell thing the day Bush announced it. He said, "that's crap" like the rest of us. He told his science wonks to fix it...they said, "it's fixed but we had to do X or Y"...he said, "fine but I really dont like Y, try Z" and that was it.

15 minutes of Presidential time...30 max and that includes the photo op.

The man sets an agenda and wields the bully pulpit. Just because he does 5 things at once does NOT mean that each of them takes up 20% of his time. He can still be spending 99% of his time on Banking Crisis....and split the other 1% along an almost infinite list of fully delegated "other" issues.

There's this whole other guy that everyone got all pissed off about...Rahm Emmanuel. You might have heard of him? He swats down the stupid stuff...brings important issues to the President....and squashes anyone that wastes a millisecond of Obama's time.

Seriously...you tell me how many "initiatives" and "projects" are currently in the planning or implementation phase at GE? I dont mean silly stuff. I'm talking about major things that need Executive sign off. The economy is taking for GE too...you think they stopped EVERYTHING? Hell no. If anything, every project is now taking up MORE bandwidth as they decide to stop, go or postpone.

Every Exec VP in that company has his own slate of initiatives (like the Cabinet in governmnent) and is managing them and reporting back to the CEO. That's why they are there. Our President can't do the same?

It's a farce to listen to these people. I mean it's EVERY bit as insulting as dealing with Jeremiah Wright or Shandra Levy or listening to Mooseburger jokes during a serious newscast.

Here...I'll 'seed' another rant and just let it bloom elsewhere. Right hand: "We need stimulus to get our economy mooving again...and we need it NOW", Left hand:"What is all of this stuff that Obama is doing in this Stimulus bill??? He needs to focus!!"

Hello? You stimulate by spending. You spend on silly things or you spend on thoughtful things. This guy is spending on thoughtful things...agree or disagree....but dont mistake it for anything other than what it is....Stimulus.

He could have simply rounded all of the budgets up and begun hiring for Federal Jobs and called it Stimulus. I, for one, am glad he didnt....and I think every other "less govt is better" person out there should agree.