Two WOW Articles; Stinging Indictments of Liberalism

First up, George Will on Obama's economic failure, and the resultant economic uncertainty...

Jobs report a nightmare for Obama progressivism
--George F Will, June 10, 2010, Washington Post

Uncertainty is a consequence of hyperkinetic government, which is a consequence of the governmental confidence that is a consequence of progressivism. The premise of progressivism is that all will be well if enough power is concentrated in Washington, and enough Washington power is concentrated in the executive branch, and enough really clever experts are concentrated in the executive branch. This is why the government's perceived impotence concerning the gulf oil spill is subversive of the Obama administration's master narrative.

There's another line toward the end that beautifully illustrates the error of progressivism: "For a proper progressive, anything short of a "comprehensive" solution to, say, the problem of illegal immigration is unworthy of consideration."

And this in turn is beautifully illustrated in the DeepHorizon oil spill. This administration is bogged down, in part, because the president is either looking for a complete package deal to the problem, and strict adherence to procedure, never mind that adherence to procedure is killing the economies of the Gulf states, or myopically fixed on a single facet of a much larger problem-- sitting back and railing against the administrators of his government to "plug the damn hole" --while hindering or ignoring the other things that must get done along the way.

"Let's not talk about immigration unless we can talk about it comprehensively."

But while we argue over each others ideas of comprehensiveness, thousands cross the border, making the problem more and unnecessarily difficult.

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Next up, Dan Henninger excoriates the myth of 'government omnipotence,' while simultaneously exposing governments' very real impotence when it mightily over-steps its constitutional mandate...

Obama Meets Toto
--Dan Henninger, JUne 10, 2010, Wall Street Journal

Whatever the validity, for most of the postwar period, many people bought into this Faustian bargain. Throw money, accept the inefficiencies, and hope the government does more good than harm.

Arguably, achieving certain public goods this way could have endured for the Democrats—but only if programs like Medicaid remained as modest as their originators promised. Or if government's advocates had made choices. We can do this (Medicare for the elderly), but not that (Medicare for all, now called ObamaCare). But any liberal suggesting judgment or restraint—a Sen. Pat Moynihan— was tossed off the magic bus.

Now government's inefficiency has become indefensible and its fantastic costs, its oceanic spending, a clear and present danger.

Progressive government has taken on too much! So much in fact that it can no longer balance all the promises its made and the expectations of its citizens. Our leaders have over sold and under delivered... To the detriment of us all.