Keith Hennessey summarizes what he learned from recently-released memos:
If Mr. Lizza’s reporting is correct, over the objection of his economic advisors President Obama replaced $60 B of “highly stimulative spending” with a slow-spending but “inspiring” $20 B for high-speed trains and $40 B in pork for his Senate Democratic allies. And this is starting from a point at which he knew that his advisors thought that not more than $225 B of the $826 B total was high-quality, fast-spending, efficient stimulus (emphasis in original).
if you read between the hopelessly adoring lines, you can see why the white house is rudderless and reactive. nothing ever gets decided. endless discussions. paralysis by analysis. I am sure the writer didn't mean to convey that meaning quite as clearly as he did, but it was a preferable story line to "clueless", which was the only alternative.
we also learn that the entire country is being run via a series of notes that call to mind elementary school crushes. everything is done in writing, usually via position memos, after which there are three boxes; "agree", "disagree", and "discuss".
that's how I learned that jennifer varner liked me in the 7th grade. she checked the "I like you" box.
I just hope we survive until election day before someone accidentally adds a "press the button" box.
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