Now I am a believer.    

Few readers of my blog will be surprised to hear that I voted for Barack Obama in the election.   But I was always skeptical that he would be able to achieve fully his promises to bring candor, responsibility, and bipartisanship to Washington.    Experience had convinced me it wasn’t practical.   OK, I am still dubious whether it is possible to achieve bipartisanship – even for Obama.    The evidence was his failure a week ago to get a single Republican vote for his fiscal stimulus in the House (and only three votes in the Senate) despite his substantial election mandate, 63% approval rating, the severity of the current recession, and the concessions he made to the other side.    

When it comes to honesty and responsibility, however, what Obama did at his Fiscal Responsibility Summit today was breathtaking.    (more…)