Obama Discovers The Magic Answer

In other words, can you say "present?"

From an article on FDA approval of an embryonic stem-cell trial, which allegedly has nothing to do with any official Obama position. h/t Instapundit. My gut says we'll see a lot of this from Obama, change you can believe in, but not pin on him.

Mr. Obama's plans for acting on the current research restrictions haven't been finalized. Shortly after the election, Obama advisers thrilled biotech companies and investors when they suggested that the new president could use his executive authority to undo the Bush administration ban. But in a Jan. 18 interview on CNN, Mr. Obama said he might let Congress take the lead. "I like the idea of the American people's representatives expressing their views on an issue like this," he said.

Irrespective of how one feels on this particular issue, I've always suspected Obama means to steer the country to the Left but to try and do so in a manner that gives him political cover so he can mouth the right words at election time. It's a hidden hand style of ultimately weak leadership that benefits Obama more than anyone. Technically speaking, Americans would be left with no accountability in government at all.

Also, such a style gives no comfort in terms of Obama's ability to make the hard decisions and declare and support them the way a leader normally would. It's too slick by half to work for very long without generating significant distrust.

Comments

[ET]

This seems to be Obama's style so far. Make a show of signing bold new declarations that are, in substance, nearly identical to Bush policies and practices. You have to read the fine print.

"Close guantanamo in a year" means study this and study that, then try the prisoners in civilian court (unless they are "tough cases", in which case Bush's military tribunal structure will be used. Of course, they are all tough cases.).

"We will not torture," unless we decide we need to.

"We will stick to the military field manual," unless we decide we need to go outside it.

"We will withdraw from Iraq," according the the SOFA negotiated by Bush and the conditions on the ground.

Read the fine print. "Change we can believe in" is more like "symbolic incremental adjustments we can use to appease world opinion and the liberal base without out abandoning the Bush policies that worked so well."

[WAHOO WILLIE]

What I thought bordered genius was Obie "freezing" the pay of his peeples...... A real stroke considering that all federal pay scales (even Rummies NSPS crap) are already set for the year. I guess we should assume there will be no raise for them all in January 10.

[coffee]

Looks to me like Barack is off to a great start, on track to keep his word and restore some international credibility for the US