Obama - file this under ‘straw man’ column

President Barack Obama’s new Washington Post column says fairly little while trying to give the impression of saying a lot. And, per previous criticisms, he frequently plays the “straw man” card:

There are some who say we must wait to meet our greatest challenges. They favor an incremental approach or believe that doing nothing is somehow an answer. But that is exactly the thinking that led us to this predicament.

Who are the “some”? If they’re allegedly House and Senate Republicans, stop singing Kumbaya and name them. Otherwise, is the “incremental approach” comment a signal for a second stimulus, since the column is about the country’s financial condition?

Next, put on your “irony alert” glasses:

Ignoring big challenges and deferring tough decisions is what Washington has done for decades, and it's exactly what I sought to change by running for president.

Let’s see… first stimulus bill arguably too small, and with no White House leadership; not much WH leadership on national healthcare; not much, in terms of legislative involvement on Waxman-Markey; stalling the clock out on “don’t ask, don’t tell,” and otherwise doing little on gay rights; reverting to, or even expanding, BushCo policies on indefinite detention, state secrets, etc.

Yep, that’s just the opposite of “ignoring big challenges and deferring tough decisions”!

Meanwhile, here’s another biggie!

We believe it's time to reform our community colleges…

Instead of doing that, why not learn from every other advanced nation, and get our K-12 schools to have a school year of at least 200 days, if not longer? THAT would be educational leadership of boldness.

And, given that Congressional Republicans are now formally on record as opposing a second stimulus, what bold leadership will Obama show here?

As with many other things, I’m not holding my breath.

(For some suggestions for real change, go here.)

We are the straw men. We are the straw men.