Don't Paint the House Without Fixing the Foundation

In 2006 Obama voted against raising the debt ceiling saying it would burden our children and grandchildren.  Now he's considering raising the debt ceiling and blaming it on Bush.  Below is the quote from Obama and Robert Gibbs' bungling response to the reporter who asks about it.

“The fact that we're here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign - is a sign of leadership failure.  Leadership means the buck stops here.  Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren.  America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership.  Americans deserve better.  I therefore intend to oppose the effort to increase America's debt limit.” – Senator Barack Obama, 2006

Robert Gibbs was asked about that particular statement by Obama in 2006.  His response is below:

“The president used it to make a point about needing to get serious about fiscal discipline.  And we, as I've said earlier, are dealing with the legacy of decisions that have been made over the past many years - not paying for a prescription drug benefit, not paying for wars, not paying for tax cuts - that changed our fiscal situation much more markedly than anything ever had.  So I think it is up to and it's important for Congress - because we know - not to play politics with this, not to play games - to find a way to raise that debt limit, understanding that we have to - as I mentioned to Matt, we're going have to have to take some serious steps to get our fiscal house in order. But we understand -- we know what happens.  We know the catastrophic actions with things like Social Security and Medicare if you threaten the solvency of the government.”

So Mr. Gibbs…  did then Senator Obama mean what he said or not?  And is it OK to raise the debt ceiling when you’re President but not when you’re a Senator affiliated with the other party?  Why is it the President has now been in office for two years and still wants to blame the previous administration for everything?  When will President Obama actually take responsibility for anything that is happening or has happened while he’s been in office?  Just once I’d like to see Mr. Obama stand up and say “I’m the President and ultimately the conditions in this country are my responsibility.  President Bush is gone and it’s all on me.” 

It’s my guess we won’t be hearing anything like this from President Obama .  Taking responsibility for things that go wrong is not part of his Saul Alinski agenda.

Raising the debt ceiling instead of cutting spending is the most illogical approach possible to reducing the debt.  It’s like raising the average unemployment numbers to accommodate the current unemployment level so it doesn’t look so bad.  It doesn’t solve the problem – it’s merely a cosmetic change to make things look better, like painting a house that’s falling down.  Making it look nice on the outside doesn’t fix the cracks in the foundation.  And the foundation is what needs to be fixed.