The President’s ‘Whiz Kids’

Your article says Obama needs some people around him who, in LBJ's words, have "run for sheriff." Those words were spoken to LBJ, spoken by Speaker of the House Sam Raburn. See "The Best and the Brightest," page 53.

The problem with the ideologically blinded Alter is that these ''too smart by half'' denizens of the WH are seeing the luck run out of ''Change''.

''We are out of money now'', sayeth Obama , which is odd, due to the fact that his plans while both a candidate and president allowed that we would have the neccesary monies to cover universal healthcare which is expected to eat up as much as 27% of the nations GNP [SLATE] while also acknowlaging that everyone else is running out of dough as well, which is precipitating a record number of small businesses cutting off health insurance to their employees in order to prevent these from being laid off.
The GM move has been a disaster, and was probably dreamed up by one of Obamas ''whiz kids'' if not Obama himself. Even the UAW does not want this albatross hung round their necks,thus does GM seek to lay off even more workers and shut down even more dealerships,hence even more jobs, setting in motion the very thing Obama was trying to avoid. Cap and Trade is a political loser,due to a flurry of studies by other whiz kids that display heightened unemployment and rising energy bills,chief among these,those performed by the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office,and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
No luck on the foreign policy front. The NKs are as truculent as ever,so is Iran,Bibi tells Obama to get lost regarding settlements, and HAMAS will not even bother to entertain any compromise or ideas save the hard line. Afghanistan is a hard road to travel,as is Iraq, where suicide bombers continue to kill our soldiers in both countries, and the Taliban actually using our airstrikes against Afghan civilians as a true ''propaganda device''. Remember ''Darfur''? Well,neither does anyone else,save a few on the human rights side. GTMO has proven to be a political embarassment for the administration with new RASMUSSEN poll numbers showing a solid majority of Americans [62%] opposed to bringing detainees to the US ,parity at 50% in keeping the joint open,and a fight for the political life of Obamas House Speaker who appears to be hunkered down in China,that bastion of human rights. Obamas Whiz Kids need less ''whiz'',as Truman could have instantly told him. In trying to emulate the best of Kennedys administration,Obama may well have produced its worst results that set the stage for the McNameras,Rusks, and Johnsons and the ''quagmires'' that followed.

Still Free in America,
OK...You take the cops and military. But without collecting taxes how will you pay them? Or for roads, bridges, education etc? You keep the bible to run your section. See how quickly theocracy & religious fundamentalism turns sour. The rest of us will keep the Constitution. After all, it was written in those heathen Northeastern states.

My new found optimism and my personal accountability have nothing to do with Obama, but rather with an era of reality that hit with the economic meltdown. I refuse to fear this idiot and I want our country back

When we recall the fight and integrity of Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, without whom some would still be giving up a seat on the bus and would not have the right to vote, we need to ask ourselves if the legacy of those who conquered the spare of opportunity that we enjoy today, has been reserved only for political speeches and has ceased to be a commitment of a generation to self respect, education, honor and faith

Thanks UMwater. I am as well, a social conservative but not party affiliated. YUP, and the "rags" reported "The First Lady America Has Been Waiting For". What an INSULT. I seem to recall Laura Bush and her tireless work for literacy. No excuses; just WORK. No "victims" just WORK

Ah, Johnathan. Would you like some sugar to sweeten your OBama Kool-Aid?

In the wake of Memorial Day; while Mr. Obama has never served in the military; perhaps he needs to spend some time in combat; to understand that we are not only at war overseas but here at home; battling and loosing to a severe recession bordering on a depression. Perhaps; just perhaps he could learn about strategy versus strong leadership and decision making. Strategic planning was a buzz word ten years ago when there was a TON of "fat". We dont have that luxury anymore. This President needs to put his big boy pants on now and behave like a warrior. With conviction and strong leadership.

Well said. Not all intellectuals are counter-balanced by the weight of real world observations. The key to running any organization properly is finding the middle ground between the two. Like any traveller you need a direction and the intellectuals provide that direction. An example might be moving towards a greener economy or creating a missile defense system or loosening the economy. But the placing limits on implementaion of these objectives comes down to the realists like the Eisenhowers or Omar Bradley, and Pattons of the world. When you travel too far in a given direction you quickly outrun your supplies and the effort becomes wasteful or even perilous. What is even more wasteful is setting the wrong objectives and going the wrong direction from the beginning. The Bush administration suffered from a failing in both areas. They chose the wrong the direction to go in by ignoring intellectuals and eschewing scientific evidence and failed to place realistic limits when they did move in a particular direction. The Iraq war is a great example of both failings. Obama has the intellectuals and is going in the right direction. This article points out correctly that his major challenge is going to be measuring how far to go before stopping and deciding what can be fixed now as opposed to later.

My boss has a great line that I???ve often repeated and just love: We all live in our own heads.
But with respect to my boss, it just seems in Washington, their heads are lodged in a very dark place ??? no need to be graphic, but time to get real.
Because what else could explain a nation's capital that totally ignores the revolution unfolding in California???s capital? Where they're cutting spending like crazy after voters in that state went crazy and told them to stop spending, stop taxing, stop playing the same old games.
But looking around in Washington, nothing's stopped. Not the taxing, or the spending, or the ignoring, or the thinking, "We know better than our clueless subjects know."
So they merrily go on thinking in their heads that they're doing just fine. Clinging to election results from half a year ago. And insisting they've got a mandate ??? totally ignoring election results in California half a week ago and forgetting what they've got now is a manhole... and they're sinking into it.
It's one thing to be half-baked. But another to push spending that's proven half-ass.
But you wouldn't know that, would you, Washington? Your big head just doesn't fathom half-ass. No wonder. It's not that your head can't see it. The darn thing's just wedged too far up it.

i'm so tired of all the "Bush" bashing!..Good lord, the man wasn't that bad. Just wait and see how bad "Oblahma" screws us up...he has a good start already. He's a man that has such an unwarrented ego that it just repulses me to see or hear him. America should be ashamed of this person who keeps putting down Americans. He seems to forget that he is half white also...what happened to that part of him...or is it just easier to cop out and call hisself black?? Anyway...Bush vs Obama...no winners there....the loser is America!

Cool article, Jonathan ...

I agree with drewand. Neither the "whiz kidz"nor the Pope is infallible. Obama is wise enough to recognize this.