>Whatever his faults may be I think the "I won" thing has just been overblown as a political barb.
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>Well, consider this: in the State of the Union address in January, when Obama announced the so-called "freeze" on govt spending (which, at the time, only applied to 14% of the budget). Obama reminded Americans that it wouldn't take effect until 2011, then turned his head toward the Republicans, narrowed his eyes in contempt, and said, "Remember, that's how budgeting works".
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>He was referring to the fact that Congress each year's budget the previous year....however....prior to that, the Democratic Congress threw out the official budget when it came time to spend $700 billion on TARP and another $800 billion on the "stimulus".
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>American citizens understand "how budgets works" a helluva lot better than Obama does. They don't have the luxury of waiting until next year to cut back. That's why Obama has near zero credibility with an increasing # of Americans - this entire story, topped off with the "Lord, give me chastity, but not yet" approach to fiscal restraint, is far from a political barb.
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>I do see November as 1994 all over again but I wish I had more faith the GOP will know what to do with it.
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>I agree with you. Between watching Glenn Beck (granted, he's not running) and Palin and Romney and Huckabee, they are barely better than Obama.

Well, it's a fact that a high percentage of the federal budget is either mandated (Social Security, Medicare, etc.) or politically untouchable (defense). So talk of cutting back is a game to begin with. Besides, cutting back government spending when the economy is already in the doldrums is a terrible idea unless you want to go through a decade like Japan went through recently.

The Republican on your list I disagree about somewhat is Mike Huckabee. His fundamentalism rubs me the wrong way but the guy talks pretty good sense. He is amiable and does not seem full of himself. Plus he plays the electric guitar ;-)

If it's Palin vs. Obama in 2012 just give her a cigarette and a blindfold. He is about a thousand times smarter than her.