Peter Wehner...on the omnibus spending bill, with its 8500 earmarks...
If what Barack Obama said during the campaign about his fierce opposition to earmarks was true, this is a terrific chance for him to show it. If he were to veto this legislation, or return it to Congress with stern instructions to rework the legislation in a way that was free of earmarks, it would be a gutsy and admirable thing to do. It would show he is impressively independent of Congressional Democrats and is willing to fulfill his promise of “change†and page-turning politics. It would also be quite popular in the country.Few people question Barack Obama’s talent. The question for many of us, including those of us who have spoken well of him in the past, is whether his actions as president align with his words as candidate; whether the hope he seemed to embody was real or imagined. The early returns are disappointing, to say the least, whether it involves his massive spending proposals, the violation of his own ethics rules relating to lobbyists, his unwillingness to engage Republicans in a serious bi-partisan way, or his Administration’s childish effort to target Rush Limbaugh and rely on the coarse political tactics of Paul Begala, James Carville, and Rahm Emanuel.
President Obama has a chance to begin to live up to the promise he showed on the campaign trail. Vetoing this legislation is a great place to start.
Talk about the triumph of hope over experience.
Posted by dan at March 6, 2009 10:46 AM