Steyn on Sunday: Obama at Sea

I have a whole slew of links I could share on our new President, but rather like Barb, I'd almost rather hide from what's going on in Washington these days, so I'll just share a few links and thoughts this evening on a topic I have mostly avoided in recent weeks.

It feels in so many ways as though our nation has slid completely out of control in a matter of weeks. I shake my head that the same Democrats who constantly screamed about President Bush's perceived faults have confirmed a tax cheat to be the head of the Internal Revenue Service. I watch as the Obama White House appears to be ready to place control of the Census directly under the White House and Rahm Emanuel (what do you want to bet ACORN will be doing the census taking?). I note the media's silence as the new President seems to ignore a disaster in Kentucky. I have been following the trillion-dollar pork bill Congress is proposing in a state of disbelief. That's all compounded by what's going on here in California, where the governor wants to hike taxes, as well as impose new taxes on everything from vet bills to Disneyland tickets to Dodger games.

Having watched Mr. Obama since Inauguration Day, I feel that my pre-election fears that he does not have the executive experience or the intellectual and emotional capacity to handle the Presidency are being borne out. He seems to be in way over his head; if he's become stressed out in just two weeks, over a bill he should be able to pass, how will he react when a real challenge arises? I'm particularly exasperated by the way he seems intent on driving our economy completely into the tank by threatening "catastrophe" every other day. I'm old enough to have watched Jimmy Carter's "malaise" speech as a teenager, and those unhappy days seem to be here again.

Ronald Reagan, where are you?

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a whole lot I can do about the current political or economic situation other than complain, so it seems much more pleasant at this juncture to focus on movies and other enjoyable pursuits and hope that if I ignore what's happening in D.C., it will miraculously all go away...however, the reality is that it won't and we're all going to have to face the music at some point, starting with opening up our checkbooks.