Smatterings

I'm on the road today and will not be near a computer. Here are a few interesting posts I had a chance to glace at late yesterday:

Power Line has a great post up on the dangerous symbolism embraced by the Obama as it relates to Guantanamo:

Today Barack Obama issued an entirely symbolic executive order, directing that the terrorist detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay be closed within one year. Gitmo, of course, was created in answer to the question, What are we going to do with captured terrorists? Now, with that facility slated for closure, the question arises once more.

The Politico has an interesting article up about Obama's reaction to reporters that have not yet learned that the new President has ushered in a new era. That would be an era where the President will not have questions posed to him when he isn't prepared to answer, at least not without a good scolding. Did The Obama ever consider that this job as the most powerful man on Earth had a good share of unpleasantries involved? On a h/t from Darleen Click at Protein Wisdom.

Asked how he could reconcile a strict ban on lobbyists in his administration with a Deputy Defense Secretary nominee who lobbied for Raytheon, Obama interrupted with a knowing smile on his face.

"Ahh, see," he said, "I came down here to visit. See this is what happens. I can't end up visiting with you guys and shaking hands if I'm going to get grilled every time I come down here."

Pressed further by the Politico reporter about his Pentagon nominee, William J. Lynn III, Obama turned more serious, putting his hand on the reporter's shoulder and staring him in the eye.

"Alright, come on" he said, with obvious irritation in his voice. "We will be having a press conference at which time you can feel free to [ask] questions. Right now, I just wanted to say hello and introduce myself to you guys - that's all I was trying to do."

And finally at IBD, this article on what is really being called for in our latest "infrastructure" stimulus package:

The idea behind a "stimulus" package is to give the slumping economy an immediate boost. At least, that's how we've been sold on the need for $825 billion in new spending. President Obama himself, in Tuesday's inaugural address, called for "bold and swift" action on the economy.

But now comes a report from the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office that says of the $355 billion tagged by House leaders in their plan for infrastructure and other discretionary outlays, only $136 billion would be spent by October 2010.

"The rest," noted a Washington Post story, "would come in future years, long after the CBO and other economists predict the recession will have ended." In short, it's not stimulus at all. And it's certainly not "bold and swift."

That new era of change is here. So far it looks like an ushering in of unprecedented naivete with a dash of same old, same old.

Maybe it will be good to be away from the computer all day.