It’s a laugh riot, isn’t it? Actually, they might be laughing more at Gibbs’s feeble way of ducking the question than The One’s looming broken promise, but in Gibbs’s defense, what’s he supposed to say? Obama pounded McCain for wanting to pay for health care by taxing benefits, rode into D.C. promising Change, and now he’s going to eat a crap sandwich by reversing himself because it turns out personal charisma doesn’t work on hard economic numbers. So Axelrod and company have to go out and face the firing squad and “explain” via stuttering half-answers why Barry O lied about this last year. It’s a political microcosm of Obama’s economic M.O.: They borrowed political capital by pledging “no new taxes” to win the election and now down the road the bill’s finally come due.

Elsewhere today, Gibbs declared that it’s okay to start judging the success of the stimulus. Over to you, Innocent Bystanders!