Joe Klein: The Obama Speech

The Obama Speech

Posted by JOE KLEIN
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
5:02 pm

I didn't think it was so terrible, although I pretty much agree with many of the points that Jim Fallows makes here. I know that there was a strong argument for Obama to make a JFK "We'll go to the moon" sort of speech, declaring war on fossil fuels and so forth. But let's put this into some perspective: Obama has already done an awful lot in 18 months as President, pushing against a know-nothing deficit reduction tide out in the country (and also among the Concord Coalition elites). He has doubled-down on George W. Bush's TARP fund (a success), produced an historic $787 billion stimulus package (also a success, but perhaps insufficient), signed an even more historic universal health insurance plan (too soon to tell about how successful) and is about to pass necessary financial reform legislation.

That's a lot.

And while I'm on record in favor of placing a stiff price on carbon, and moving as quickly as possible toward alternative fuels, I suspect that yet another major Obama policy crusade would put the public on government overload just a few months before a significant election. So what he did last night and today--especially the $20 billion BP escrow account--seems good enough for now and I have no doubt that if the sky doesn't fall on his presidency, he'll be as persistent on green policy as he's been on everything else.

more...

http://swampland.blogs.time.com/2010/06/16/the-obama-speech-2/