PERSPECTIVE

I have been thinking about last night's Joint Sessions speech, wondering what to write about it. The heckler was getting tons of airtime - radio and t.v., Fox and all of the MSM, of course - they were all over that one. No mention of whether the comment was true or not. It was all about manners, wasn't it? They really can't even win that one. Now, I do understand that one was far more egregious, but at least it was true, whereas the booing of Bush over Social Security's impending collapse wasn't exactly founded on truth, so perhaps the playing field was leveled a bit.

My favorite part of the whole thing? It's a tie between Nancy Pelosi's look of outraged horror (maybe she thought she heard 'Nazi') and Obama's reaction - prissy arm-crossing and prim, puckered lips and a terse little 'it's not true' as he twitches his arm in irritation. Very Pee Wee Herman. Biden, like the big, lovable galoot that he is simply hung his head in shame (after taking a few seconds to process what had happened).

And, of course, lost in the whirl over 'LiarGate' (isn't there always a 'Gate' after it these days?) was the comic relief section of the speech. Is it just me, or did it seem like even he couldn't say it without laughing?

All in all, quite a bit more entertaining this time around, which is great, since we've seen this speech a billion times already....

Then I came across this op-ed in the Wall Street Journal by Daniel Henninger. He is absolutely right. We are wasting time debating health care/insurance reform - something that isn't nearly as pressing a crisis as the economy.

Was the whole plan on the economy, start to finish, merely pushing through Porkulus as quickly as possible and then wait for the unicorns and rainbows to usher in a new era of prosperity?

I don't know about you, but I'm not holding my breath.

Do I think that this will cause Obama's presidency to be the 'greatest failed presidency' in American history? Well, you can only blame Bush so far - the real damage isn't set to hit until late next year or early 2011 - far too late in the game. Let's face it - the teetering economy has been rocked briskly to the edge with the profligate spending spree the democrats have been on since January, which must have caused as much damage as, if not more than, the initial crisis.

This genuine crisis was summarily dismissed in order to move on to the democrat's Holy Grail, health care. They tried to capitalize on the spring swine flu - nothing like a crisis to get work done, eh Rahm? But the crisis was a non-starter and Americans started turning to the bill. After the stimulus and omnibus bills went through unscrutinized, Americans were darn sure going to read something that was going to affect them so much more personally than just in their wallets.

In the meantime, the economy continues to suffer. We've taken our eye off the ball.

I don't care if this may be the destruction of the Obama administration.

I care that this may be the destruction of America.

Monetizing debt, outrageous spending, printing money, unemployment with no relief in sight, no matter what they may say about the stimulus, combined with decreasing tax revenues - all of this is charging us forward towards the brink.

It's time to get back to the real crisis, please.