Is Barack Obama Officially Taking on Too Much at Once?

I think one of the cautions that has to be given to the president – and I’ve talked to some of his people about this – is that you can’t have so many things on the table that you can’t absorb it all. And we can’t pay for it all. And I never would have believed that we would have budgets that are running into the multi-trillions of dollars, and we are amassing a huge, huge national debt that, if we don’t pay for in our lifetime, our kids and grandkids and great grandchildren will have to pay for it.”
—Colin Powell, Former Secretary of State; RINO

ATLANTA— So I’m reading the news on my blackberry on the fourth of July, as we head towards the park to watch the Lakeland Flying Tigers take on the Tampa Yankees. And a headline catches my eye and I’m stunned: Colin Powell worries Obama tackling too much.

So Colin Powell is worried that Barack Obama is “taking on too much” without “considering the costs.”  Fine time to come to this realization, traitor. 

Had Colin Powell been reading the American Missive last fall, prior to election day, he would have realized that Mr. Obama was promising to take on too much and that Mr. Obama showed no concern for the federal deficit way back then.

Instead Mr. Powell stated after the Sarah Palin nomination that there was basically a gap between Barack Obama and John McCain in terms of judgment- and that Mr. Obama exhibited better judgment for the office of president.  Accordingly, Mr. Powell endorsed Mr. Obama and this proved to be the final nail in a largely sealed coffin for Mr. McCain’s presidential campaign.

Funny thing is, I do not recall John McCain having a presidential agenda that was even close to that of Mr. Obama in terms of reckless fiscal ambition.  All I remember Mr. McCain saying was that he wanted to root out government waste and that he wanted to freeze unnecessary government spending, in an effort to close the deficit gap.  But as I recall, it was Mr. Obama who promised he would pursue nationalized healthcare, massive tax increases and income redistribution schemes, trade protectionism, pervasive regulatory reform, clean energy policies, and myriad other economic policies all without a clear care for the price tag.

In retrospect, and in light of the above quote, it was an interesting analysis by Mr. Powell— and sadly ironic.

My basic frustration with Mr. Powell is the same frustration I’m having with some other former Obama supporters I am hearing about in recent weeks.  They are disappointed (and some are shocked) at the policy choices Barack Obama has made.  They are appalled at the rate of government spending.  Stunned by the takeover of General Motors.  Aghast that he shoved through a $787 billion stimulus package, and that members of his administration are already talking about more.

I am frustrated because everything Barack Obama has done I have basically expected.  I find it all entirely consistent with the principles he revealed about himself last year during the campaign. 

I am frustrated because I seem to be among a minority of people that took the man at his word. It was because I took Barack Obama at his word that I did not vote for him. 

I wonder how many other people would not have voted for him if they had taken him at his word last fall? (Or if they had listened to him at all to begin with)?

As to Colin Powell’s points above, yes- Mr. Obama is taking on too much.

Whatever — we’re stuck with the guy now (in a very small part, thanks to Mr. Powell himself). 

But alas, we can’t stop Barack Obama.

…we can only hope to contain him.