Pro-O agitprop like this makes me want to move to Canada and wait for Matt Labash to write an article about me. This would be a better country if the new administrator of our public goods jurisdiction were ushered into office with all the fanfare of a shift change at Target.
That said, I’d like to appoint Chris Rock Official Enumerator of the President’s Responsibilities:
CNN: What are you hoping Barack Obama does for this country? What do you think is his most important task?
Rock: You know, if you’re the president you only have two jobs: peace and money. That’s it. I mean, it’s like, what did Clinton do? We were at peace and we had a budget surplus. That’s it. That’s the gig. The closer you get us to those two goals, you know, that’s pretty much the gig. Is that too much to ask for?
I’m sorry, I know the point of Rock’s comment was not the nitty gritty, but we were NOT at peace as I understand the definition under Clinton. He waged several unnecessary wars, which while they were not nearly as long, arduous, and costly as Iraq, were just as much errands of a foolish, wasteful ideology.
I’m the first one to point out the faults of any president … Bush, Reagan, etc., but it astounds me that in polite society Clinton gets this free pass on the egregious missteps and constitutional violations he made (and I’m NOT talking about his skirt-chasing).
[...] record of peace aside, Chris Rock is obviously of a better grade of celebrity. Via the bethrothed, who is more incisive than even Chris Rock when she writes: This would be a better country if the new administrator of our public goods jurisdiction were [...]
[...] team of Will Wilkinson and Kerry Howley puncture pro-Obama agitprop with precision. I’m thinking of not moving from Busan just yet, because if being American means serving my President, I need to be less American in the next four [...]
David Bernstein is an even apter complement to Howley’s pithy snark than Wilkinson’s.
http://volokh.com/archives/archive_2009_01_18-2009_01_24.shtml#1232498051