Pass the Shovel Please

Righty blogs are in a buzz over the admission from Times writer David Brooks that Obama told him there really wasn't such a thing as 'shovel ready' while he was telling America to plow borrowed money into those magical shovels.

OK, let's be real: Obama and friends most likely used the same tactic to sell ARRA that Bush and friends used to sell the Iraq war (the Iraqi oil would pay for a large chunk of the cost, etc), ie., politicians are generally in the business of promising miracles through hoodwink, especially when the situation is dire or deemed as such. The 2000 page ARRA set a land-speed record for passing through Congress and was clearly written well in advance, just like most of the Patriot Act. It was a reaction to fear, unless you believe in the Illuminati.

But did Brooks really break a story? Here's Obama in the WaPo in December 2009, ten months ago and about ten months after George Soros handed him the finished bill (sorry, couldn't resist), talking about shovels:

"The tension we've been seeing is that what is good for the longer term may not work as an immediate short-term stimulus. We're still getting slapped around in the Recovery Act for this," Obama said. "The term 'shovel-ready' -- let's be honest, it doesn't always live up to its billing."

Other than vintage Obama--the all knowing SpockYoda figure floating above the maelstrom telling everyone what to do, then explaining how and why everyone failed when his advice tanks--let's be clear here...that's about as close as he gets to admitting failure (in this case by saying others were lying to him about the term). But those in the know like Brooks were no doubt smiling because they knew it was a game all along.

BTW, this was the same event in which Obama said the Chinese were rebuilding faster because they aren't 'burdened' with democracy. Ironically, SpockYoda also said the following in the same article:

But at the same time, Obama made it sound as if he was not keen on doing more of the road repavings and other faster-acting repairs that have dominated the infrastructure, which he said "may duplicate needs of the past as opposed [providing] vision."

Which is strange considering the 50 billion planes, trains and automobiles "roads, railways and runways" stimulus package he's proposing, apparently just to smack around the GOP on the never-ending campaign trail. And here the Apollo Alliance was taking the credit for the infrastructure funding in the original ARRA, which they apparently helped draft. Or in other words, Obama may have promised change but he didn't mean changing the way politicians operate. His goal has always been about spreading the wealth around, globally. Tactics that work towards that goal won't change.

Speaking of which, the real failure of the ARRA is yet to be determined, and that is, did it grease enough palms to keep the House and Senate in Democratic hands come November? We shall soon find out.