Barack Obama Angry Over Stimulus Debate, Avigdor Lieberman, and Hilda Solis’s Taxes

Changing the Tone

In a speech he gave last night to House Democrats, Barack Obama attempted to change the tone of the stimulus debate, ditching his teleprompters and reminding many bloggers of the fiery speeches toward the end of his campaign (watch the speech here or read it here). Liberal Steve Benen likes what he sees: "I'm starting to get the impression that President Obama has just about seen enough. He's talked, listened, cajoled, back-slapped, and engaged in hours of discussions with confused conservatives who don't seem to know what they're talking about." Byron York isn't as enthralled: "Obama gave his most concise answer yet to the question of whether the stimulus bill will really stimulate the economy. His answer: if it's spending, it's stimulus. And if it's full of earmarks, well, stuff happens." One conservative blogger thinks Obama's argument is a slippery slope: "Why not go all the way and stimulate the world's economy? Heck, why not the solar system's economy? How about building a Death Star?" Obama can't blame the slowness of the stimulus bill on the GOP, writes Jazz Shaw. "If this is how the fairy tale story of the stimulus bill ends, it will be a sad and possibly crippling start to the Obama presidency. The new golden era of post-partisan progress will turn into more of the same old, same old." Mitt Romney, meanwhile, goes on record saying Obama is "off to a rocky start."

Israel's Upcoming Elections

In anticipation of the February 10 elections, bloggers had a lot to say about Israel today. The name that kept popping up: Avigdor Lieberman. Reports the Independent: "Avigdor Lieberman, the far-right politician campaigning on a platform that Israeli Arabs should pledge loyalty to the state or lose their right to vote, has become the pivotal figure in next week's election after two polls showing his party has overtaken Labour." This would be terrible news for U.S. policy in the region and the peace process as a whole, writes Andrew Sullivan: "Welcome to the Middle East, President Obama." "Israel is not only moving to the right," laments Jamal Dajani, "it is about to give prominence to a man accused of racism and fascism." And yet the cup is half full, argues Shmuel Rosner. Instead of being alarmed, we should view "Lieberman's message as a sign of maturity in Israeli politics: The right's causes have been updated. They no longer include holding onto occupied land." Moving briefly on to other issues in the Mideast, some see a showdown between Israel and Iran in the near future, while others talk of Pakistan's most famous nuclear proliferator's release from house arrest.

Tax Problems

In yet another snafu for the Obama team, it turns out that labor secretary nominee Hilda Solis's husband has tax issues, which prompted the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to cancel a scheduled vote on Solis's nomination. Reacts conservative blogger Pejman Yousefzadeh: "Of course, if Solis and her husband pay taxes separately, it would be unfair to blame Solis for her husband's tax problems. But after l'affaire Geithner and l'affaire Daschle and l'affaire Killefer, I would not be in the least bit surprised to find out that the predominant reaction to this story in the Obama Administration is something along the lines of 'Oh no. Not again.' " This conservative blogger grills the Obama administration: "How the hell are you unaware of tax liens? Seriously. You get notices. You get bills. And you are not aware?" The country's largest labor and Hispanic groups, however, are preparing "a full-out political and media blitz to get the California Democrat approved and into the Obama cabinet." Let's be clear, writes one liberal blogger: "The delay in confirming Solis is not about taxes.... This nomination is being held up because Solis is perceived as someone who will be on the side of working people if confirmed." Obama's mistakes—both in vetting and in political strategy—are beginning to add up, argue a number of bloggers, but it's a mistake to think our new president is in any sort of serious political trouble, writes Bruce Reed. "Obama's success depends not on making the job look easy but on reminding the country that the road ahead will not be."

... Meanwhile ...

Size doesn't matter in chimpanzee politics... The White House has a new first family, and Obama doesn't like it one bit... The new RNC chair has the entire staff resign... And Happy 98th(!), Ronald Reagan.