Otherwise, we\’re just going through the throws of settling in. Finding power converters, organizing the apartment to fit our rhythm of life, locating the various supermarkets, buying spices for the kitchen, etc….

Time will tell, of course. And I know I’m probably setting myself up for disappointment by giving President Obama the benefit of the doubt, but I’m sincerely hoping this will be one place where he won’t make good on his campaign pledge to gut the mi…

I don’t think these matters are straight forward. There are a number of games to be played with budget numbers especially in defense budgets. Keep in mind that there is a huge amount of defense and war related spending which has been kept outside the regular budget especially since the invasion of Iraq.

For years the press carried the Democrat’s water by proclaiming that reductions in the rates of growth for social programs were cuts. Reducing expenditure growth for some social program from twice the rate of inflation to matching the inflation rate was a slash. Oh the children, grannies and destitute families. So if the Prez gets beat by the same political cudgel, sorry. Apply ice until the swelling goes down. Probably won’t leave a mark.

But on a more serious note,Obama has limited understanding of the military and no personal experience yet he demonstrates a high degree of confidence that borders on hubris. In many way, the new Prez seems to be the embodiment of an Über Technocrat, sort of a presidential version of Robert McNamara but without the operational and systems experience.

McNamara’s confidence was born out of his education and experience at Ford Motor. He and the other “whiz kids” represented the notion that really smart and proficient people could solve any problem. McNamara was thrown into the Secretary of Defense job with no military experience but approached the job based on his past operational experiences. How do the various parts work, what are the outputs and metrics.

Like McCamara, Obama has the intellectual self confidence that comes from an Ivy League education and no prior experience for the job he now holds. But unlike McNamara who could rely on his management experience with systems and operations, Obama has no previous applicable managment experience. Rather, Obama’s self confidence is based on working people and the system. We’ll soon see what happens when indulgent self confidence and a fawning press meets a series of intractable problems.

I think we’re starting to see some cracks in the mirror.

If he has surgical gloves, its okay. I think . . .

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/blogs/index.php/boot

Someone check Cindy Sheehan’s pulse.

fogw on February 2, 2009 at 5:00 PM

that would require actually touching her. Eew.

I see many conservatives criticizing Fox news for this.

I have never seen you criticize a liberal, regardless of how descpicable they act.

Their first satellite was named “Hope”. Any bets on the name of their second?