Notropis Notes

I took a break before this one, because I figured it’d be pretty lengthy.  Boy, was I stupid.

This is the shortest section in the whole bill.  Two whopping pages, and $4.85 billion in total expenditures.  About 1/2 of 1% of the total stimulus — far less than is spent on “oversight,” goes to Defense.

And what does DoD get?  Pretty simple:

$4,500,000,000 

for Facilities Sustainment, Restoration and Modernization programs of the Department of Defense (including minor construction and major maintenance and repair) 

and $350,000,000

For expenses, not otherwise provided for, for re-search, development, test and evaluation programs for improvements in energy generation, transmission, regulation, use, and storage, for military installations, military vehicles, and other military equipment

And that’s it.  So now we know, in addition to golf courses, swimming pools and zoos, programs that the new administration thinks “don’t work.”

‘Kay, we can add in a simple $4,850,000,000, and now we’re at:

$65,015,000,000 + 4,850,000,000 = $69,865,000,000

I’ve covered 61 pages out of 258, and 3 “Titles” — Intro, Agriculture, and Commerce-Justice-Science.

As of this point, we’ve allotted:

$ 4,372,500,000 from Title I (Oversight Costs, Pure and Simple)
$34,390,000,000* from Title II (Agriculture — This total DOES NOT
                                                   include any increases in WIC or Food
                                                    Stamp programs) 
$26,252,500,000 from Title III

$65,015,000,000 plus, at this point.

In addition, we know that

• almost $400,000,000 so far is earmarked specifically for researching climate change (I thought the science was settled….)
• nearly $7 billion, so far, is guaranteed to go to administrative and oversight expenses
• Only $2.16 billion, or less than 3%, is guaranteed to be spent before Oct. 1, 2009 — most of the rest has no effective deadline whatsoever
• An entire new bureaucracy — board, panel and administrators, will be developed to oversee this program, and this board is expected to be around for many years
• Not a single penny will go to a casino, zoo, aquarium, golf course or swimming pool (programs that evidently “don’t work.”)
• The president has a “chief performance officer”
• Those who already have contracts with the government have an inside track to this new money

First off are economic development assistance programs (isn’t that what the whole stimulus was putatively for?)

And in this section, we first find out that the ½% guaranteed back in 1106 for oversight isn’t enough, while the (total) 3.5% that Agriculture often got was too much, so now we are treated to:

$250,000,000 in administrative costs (at a maximum of 2% of the funding for EDA, instead of the ½% from section 1106.)

So, we need to add in the $250,000,000, but subtract out the half percent we put in up at the top; that’s a maximum ¼ of the $250,000,000:  .75*250,000,000 = $187,500,000 in additional administrative expenses:

$5,459,034,000 + 187,500,000 = $5,646,534,000.

Strangely, the EDAP total is never specifically mentioned again in the entire bill, and we have to infer that there must be an additional $12.5 billion for it, given that $250 million was budgeted to administrate the additional amount, and that $250 million is listed as being 2% of the total.  In fact, as with the Food Stamp and WIC benefits increases, above, it would seem that $12.5 billion is likely a minimum amount, and regardless of the actual expenses, the administrative cost cannot exceed $250,000,000

And we need to toss in some more administrative costs, right up front:

$1 billion for census department salaries (but this billion is exempt from the 1106 provision, so it’s really 0.95*1 billion, a mere $950,000,000.)

Then, $350,000,000 for telecom employee salaries (so they can develop a nationwide broadband inventory map.)

Administrative expenses are now up to:

$5,646,534,000 + 950,000,000 + 350,000,000 = $6,936,534,000.

Now we finally get to some of the specified meat:

$2.825 billion for wireless and broadband deployment grants

and then:

$685,000,000 for digital/analog converter box programs.  Yeah, those programs that were supposed to expire next month. 

(This bit also carries with it a deadline of Sept. 30, 2009, so we’re up to:

$1,475,000,000 + 685,000,000 = $2,160,000,000

of this emergency money that actually has to be spent before Michael Vick returns to the NFL.)

Then there’s a cool $100,000,000 tossed to NIST for “Scientific and Technical Research Services,” with no strings attached whatsoever, followed by:

$100,000,000 earmarked specifically for $70,000,000 for the “Technology Innovation Program” and $30,000,000 for the “Hollings Manufacturing Extension Partnership.”

$300,000,000 in grants for building scientific research facilities

$400,000,000 for NOAA for “habitat restoration and mitigation activities.”  What has the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration been destroying lately? 

And: $600 million for “accelerating satellite development and acquisition, and climate sensors and climate modeling capacity — $140 million, minimum must go to “climate data modeling.”  So there’s the first down payment to assuage the global warming crowd – don’t worry, there’s more to come.

Following this we get some of the details for the expenditure of the telecom salaries, and a very detailed breakdown of eligibility and whatnot for the wireless and broadband deployment grants, expensed above.

(All of the above is under “commerce” of course)

Justice gets a whopping one page out of the 258 total, and a cool $4 billion divided into two parts:

$3 billion for: The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program (State and Local Law Enforcement).  This section also carries a section 1106 exemption, so I suppose I should subtract off 1/2 of 1% of 3 billion = 15 million, although I’m not sure whether the exemption means they can’t spend 1/2 of 1% on administration, or they can spend more than that on it….

$1 billion for: Community Oriented Policing Services

And that’s it for Justice.  I was kind of hoping for some additional funds to clear up our backlog of cases awaiting trial, stuff like that….

Next up: Science, which means NASA and NSF

NASA

NASA gets $400,000,000 for “Science,” (and, yes the bill puts “Science” in quotes), a minimum of $250,000,000 to be spent on earth science climate research – global warming stuff. 

So, now we have $140,000,000 + $250,000,000 = $390 million, a quarter of a billion of which will be in Dr. Hansen’s private playground.

And:

$50 million in additional money to help NASA recover from the hurricanes of recent years.

So, for NASA’s share, they get $450 million, 56% of which must be spent on global warming.  I guess we see how the Obama Administration intends to restore “science” (their quotes, not mine), to its rightful place.

On to the National Science Foundation:

$2.5 Billion for Grants – reserving $300 million for the Major Research Instrumentation Program, and $200 million for infrastructure repair.  That’s still $2 billion in new grant gravy.  I’ve never been prouder to be in a discipline that can get NSF funds.  And I’ve got a sabbatical coming up!  Dudes, this new crisis rocks!

$100 million for “education and human resources”

and

Another $400,000,000 for “Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction,” in case anyone got left out in that previous half billion.

So the totals in this section run:

$12,500,000,000 for EDAP and administration
$ 1,000,000,000 for Department of Census
$ 3,175,000,000 for Wireless and Broadband
$     685,000,000 for more converter box stuff
$    500,000,000 for NIST
$  1,000,000,000 for NOAA
$  4,000,000,000 for Justice Department
$    450,000,000 for NASA
$ 3,000,000,000 for NSF

And Title III comes to:

$26,252,500,000, minimum

Of note:

$390,000,000 minimum for “climate change”
$1.3 billion in additional administrative costs

and a mere $685 million that absolutely positively must be spent before the end of September, 2009.

Total administrative costs, so far: $6,936,534,000 (minimum)

Total to be spent before October, ’09 so far: $2.16 Billion, out of about $65 billion allotted. 

Next up: 

Defense

The next $2.825 billion carries with it a nice surprise!  (It’s for broadband access loans in rural areas.) It has our FIRST GUARANTEE that some money will actually be spent in the foreseeable future:  50% of this money must be spent by Sept, 2009.

So, right now, we have a whopping $1.4125 billion in stimulating by this September (oh, minus the customary 3%, of course.)

Once again, of this $2.825 billion, we have 3% going to “administrative” costs:

.03*$2,825,000,000 = $84,750,000

Let’s total that in, before we forget:

$5,074,284,000 + 84,750,000 = $5,159,034,000

Next, we get a paltry $100 million for improving management information systems for the WIC program.

But this leads into the money to states for increased payments for WIC, food stamps and the like:

$300 million in administrative expenses to increase the payments – now, most of this goes to the states, so I’m not sure whether to add it to my “administrative” total, why, yes I will:  Bureaucracy is bureaucracy, after all:

$5,159,034,000 + 300,000,000 = $5,459,034,000

What the actual cost of these increased benefits is, is left a mystery:

 

(e) FUNDING.—There is appropriated to the Secretary of Agriculture such sums as are necessary to carry out this section, to remain available until expended. Section 1106 of this Act shall not apply to this appropriation.

 

In other words, these increases are, what are the words? UNLIMITED and PERMANENT.

And I’ll need to asterisk my totals, until I see a CBO estimate of these increased costs.

Agriculture, finally, ends with:

SEC. 2002. AFTERSCHOOL FEEDING PROGRAM FOR AT-RISK CHILDREN.

Section 17(r) of the Richard B. Russell National School Lunch Act (42 U.S.C. 1766 (r)) is amended by striking subsection (5).

I’ll have to look that one up, but I’m guessing it will involve increasing funding for afterschool feeding programs.

So, for Agriculture, we have:

$34,390,000,000 – NOT COUNTING the increased costs of increased benefits for WIC and food stamp programs.

Of that $34.4 billion plus, $1.083 billion is for administrative costs, over and above the initial $4.3 billion outlay for administrative and oversight costs.

And, a whopping: $1.4125 billion is guaranteed to be spent before September of 2009*

*Actually, we also have $150 million in administrative costs guaranteed to be spent by the end of 2009, with another $150 million by the end of 2010, since these are allotments to the states.

And, as of now, $5,459,034,000 in administrative costs, and counting. 

Next up, Commerce, Justice and Science!

First, we see some apparent good news – there IS a provision to make sure this money is spent quickly, maybe.

TRANSPARENCY PROVISIONS

SEC. 1241. LIMITATION ON THE LENGTH OF CERTAIN NONCOMPETITIVE CONTRACTS.

No contract entered into using funds made available in this Act pursuant to the authority provided in section 303(c)(2) of the Federal Property and Administrative Services Act of 1949 (41 U.S.C. 253(c)(2)) that is for an amount greater than the simplified acquisition threshold (as defined in section 4(11) of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy Act (41 U.S.C. (4)(11))—

(1) may exceed the time necessary—

  (A) to meet the unusual and compelling requirements of the work to be performed under the contract; and

  (B) for the executive agency to enter into another contract for the required goods or services through the use of competitive procedures; and

(2) may exceed one year unless the head of the executive agency entering into such contract determines that exceptional circumstances apply.

Well, part (1) don’t mean crap.  “Unusual and compelling requirements?”

And part (2) sounds great, except for that pesky “unless.”

Oh, and I forgot to mention, this deadline only applies to “non-competitive contracts.”  That’s what that whole section 303 stuff is talking about…

Competitively bid contracts can take forever, if they want.

And then we get a bunch of pages of standard “whistleblower protection,” which is fine, but no better than any other governmental agency protections against waste.

The good news is that this section DOES NOT contain its own budget provisions, so our grand total of expenses, before “stimulating” has not changed.

So we finally arrive at the “stimulus,” starting with Agriculture.  We’re only up to page 32, and have only appropriated $4.3 billion.

Some small change, to start things off:

First $44 million: Department of Agriculture buildings – construction, repair and improvements.

Next $209 million: Oh, that $44 million didn’t include the Agriculture Research Service.  They get $209 million in building improvements.  But it’s for “critical deferred maintenance,” so I’m guessing the ARS buildings must currently look about like Tony Rezko’s Chicago Development Projects.

And then, $245 million: For the DOA’s IT system – salaries and expenses to maintain and modernize.  Well, I guess we know who will be hiring the 5,000 laid off Microsoft employees.

$350 million: For “watershed and flood prevention operations.”  Now, half of this ($175 million) is for federal purchase of real estate – Want to unload your floodplain property?  Sure, there’s a great taxpayer investment.  What’s that going to stimulate?  I don’t exactly see this money as going to Ducks Unlimited-type property.

$50 million: Structural repairs for watershed rehabilitation – I guess that wasn’t included in the $350 million above.

Now we get to the big money (Really?  Really.):

These are “loans,” so I suppose that DoA expects to get paid back some day.  I’m still tossing them into the cost of the stimulus, since I’m not sure when or under what circumstances they will have to be repaid:

$5.838 Billion:  First part of rural community advancement loans, divided into:

$1.102 Billion for “Rural Community Facilities” direct loans (I don’t know, either)

$2 Billion for “Business and Industry Guaranteed Loans” (I would assume related somehow to “rural community advancement”)

$2.736 Billion for “Rural Water and Waste Disposal Direct Loans.” 

After that, we get:

$1.8 Billion: “For the cost of direct loans, loan guarantees, and grants, including the cost of modifying loans.”  Now, tucked into this is an ADDITIONAL $1.5 billion for rural water and wasted disposal direct loans.

Maybe it’s necessary, but that seems like a lot of shit, to me.

And, I guess to prevent waste, we’re told that, of this $7.638 Billion:

“the Secretary of Agriculture may use not more than 3 percent of the funds made available under this account for administrative costs.”

So, I guess we need to take 0.03*7,638,000,000 and get just $22,914,000 to add to our non-stimulating stimulus costs:

$4,372,500,000 + 22,914,000 = $4,395,414,000

And we’re still not done with Agriculture.

Now we get to the real biggie:

$22.129 Billion: for loans to section 502 borrowers, and

$500 million: for more section 502 loans.

Here’s the cool part, though:  Once again, we have a 3% limit on “administrative costs.”

Wooah:  0.03*22.629 Billion = $678,870,000 of non-stimulation!

$4,395,414,000 + $678,870,000 = $5,074,284,000

We’ve now passed the $5 billion mark in money going basically directly into federal government employee salaries for “oversight” and “administration.” 

And we’re still not done with the FIRST of TWENTY agencies.

I thought we’d be getting to the actual expenditures, but we still aren’t ready to “stimulate!”

The next section deals further with transparency and accountability and whatnot.  We can’t have that $800 billion wasted, now can we?

But buried within all the high-minded stuff we find more gems:

Biblical Requirement:  To them that have, more shall be given:

SEC. 1205. SPECIAL CONTRACTING PROVISIONS.

The Federal Acquisition Regulation shall apply to contracts awarded with funds made available in this Act. To the maximum extent possible, such contracts shall be awarded as fixed-price contracts through the use of competitive procedures. Existing contracts so awarded may be utilized in order to obligate such funds expeditiously. Any contract awarded with such funds that is not fixed-price and not awarded using competitive procedures shall be posted in a special section of the website Recovery.gov.

Catch the bolded part?  Almost slipped by me.  Current pork and earmark beneficiaries can just slide right in and take some more (it is an emergency, after all, even though they may not get around to spending the money for years or decades…)

And what new bloated spending would be complete without another layer of bureaucracy – just in case the Inspectors General aren’t doing their jobs, or are inadequately funded:

PART 2—ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BOARD

SEC. 1221. ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY BOARD.

 

There is established a board to be known as the ‘‘Recovery Act Accountability and Transparency Board’’ (hereafter in this subtitle referred to as the ‘‘Board’’) to coordinate and conduct oversight of Federal spending under this Act to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.

 

SEC. 1222. COMPOSITION OF BOARD.

(a) MEMBERSHIP.—The Board shall be composed of seven members as follows:

(1) The Chief Performance Officer of the President, who shall chair the Board.

[Chief performance officer of the president?  Did you know there was such a person?  Would that be his professional trainer?  Or his wife?]

Six members designated by the President from the inspectors general and deputy secretaries of the Departments of Education, Energy, Health and Human Services, Transportation, and other Federal departments and agencies to which funds are made available in this Act.

(b) TERMS.—Each member of the Board shall serve for a term to be determined by the President.

 

And farther on, we see more details about this new board, again alluding to how long the Democrats expect us to be trapped in this new quagmire:

 

(3) ANNUALLY.—On an annual basis, the Board shall prepare a consolidated report on the use of funds under this Act. All reports shall be publicly available and shall be posted on the Internet websiteRecovery.gov, except that portions of reports may be redacted if the portions would disclose information that is protected from public disclosure under section 552 of title 5, United States Code (popularly known as the Freedom of Information Act).

 

On an annual basis?  How many “annuals” are they anticipating?

And, of course, every bureaucracy needs its staff:

SEC. 1225. STAFFING.

(a)          EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR.—The Chairman of the Board may appoint and fix the compensation of an executive director and other personnel as may be required to carry out the functions of the Board. The Director shall be paid at the rate of basic pay for level IV of the Executive Schedule.

 

“Other personnel as may be required…” Heh.

And what bureaucracy and Board would be complete without an advisory panel?

 

SEC. 1229. INDEPENDENT ADVISORY PANEL.

(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a panel to be known as the ‘‘Independent Advisory Panel’’ to advise the Board.

(b) MEMBERSHIP.—The Panel shall be composed of five members appointed by the President from among individuals with expertise in economics, public finance, contracting, accounting, or other relevant fields.

(c) FUNCTIONS.—The Panel shall make recommendations to the Board on actions the Board could take to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse in Federal spending under this Act.

(d) TRAVEL EXPENSES.—Each member of the Panel shall receive travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, in accordance with applicable provisions under subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code.

 

(In addition to the Board and the Panel, there’s of course also a website:

Recovery.gov

to provide “transparency.”  Well, that should prove good fodder for a few dozen or hundred bloggers.)

And, finally, we get to the cost of this new extra layer of bureaucracy, again, on top of the extra funding for all of the inspectors general, which is on top of the ½ percent for departmental oversight:

 

SEC. 1230. FUNDING.

There is hereby appropriated to the Board $14,000,000 to carry out this subtitle.

 

So, we STILL haven’t gotten to a single penny of “stimulus,” and now we’re at:

$4,358,500 + 14,000,000 = $4,372,500,000

Maybe NEXT TIME I’ll be able to analyze some of the actual expenditures.  Be sure to tune in!!!

I’m working my way through the 250+ pages of the “American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009,” and I’m going to post up what I read, as I go:

First off:  Speed is of the essence!  This is an Emergency!!!!!11!!eleventy!!111!!

SEC. 1104. USE IT OR LOSE IT REQUIREMENTS FOR GRANTEES.

(a)          DEADLINE FOR BINDING COMMITMENTS.—Each recipient of a grant made using amounts made available in this Act in any account listed in subsection (c) shall enter into contracts or other binding commitments not later than 1 year after the date of the enactment of this Act (or not later than 9 months after the grant is awarded, if later) to make use of 50 percent of the funds awarded, and shall enter into contracts or other binding commitments not later than 2 years after the date of the enactment of this Act (or not later than 21 months after the grant is awarded, if later) to make use of the remaining funds. In the case of activities to be carried out directly by a grant recipient (rather than by contracts, subgrants, or other arrangements with third parties), a certification by the recipient specifying the amounts, planned timing, and purpose of such expenditures shall be deemed a binding commitment for purposes of this section.

 

(emphasis added)

So, we have 50% “bound” in 1 year, and 100% “bound” in 2 years, but no guarantee that even a single penny has been spent by February 2011.  Just “planned timing,” so theoretically these funds may not be spent for years, or decades, as long as they have a “binding commitment.”

Next:  Oversight!  No waste allowed!  Here’s the accountability portion!

“Unless other provision is made in this Act (or in other applicable law) for such expenses, up to 0.5 percent of each amount appropriated in this Act may be used for the expenses of management and oversight of the programs, grants, and activities funded by such appropriation, and may be transferred by the head of the Federal department or agency involved to any other appropriate account within the department or agency for that purpose.”

So, of the $825 billion, we have, right off the top, ½ percent for oversight and management, meaning: 0.005*825,000,000,000 = $4.125 Billion for “oversight and management.”

In addition, we have:

In addition to funds otherwise made available in this Act, there are hereby appropriated the following sums to the specified Offices of Inspector General, to remain available until September 30, 2013, for oversight and audit of programs, grants, and projects funded under this Act:

(1) ‘‘Department of Agriculture—Office of Inspector General’’, $22,500,000.

(2) ‘‘Department of Commerce—Office of Inspector General’’, $10,000,000.

(3) ‘‘Department of Defense—Office of the Inspector General’’, $15,000,000.

(4) ‘‘Department of Education—Departmental Management—Office of the Inspector General’’, $14,000,000.

(5) ‘‘Department of Energy—Office of Inspector General’’, $15,000,000.

(6) ‘‘Department of Health and Human Services—Office of the Secretary—Office of Inspector General’’, $19,000,000.

(7) ‘‘Department of Homeland Security—Office of Inspector General’’, $2,000,000.

(8) ‘‘Department of Housing and Urban Development—Management and Administration—Office of Inspector General’’, $15,000,000.

(9) ‘‘Department of the Interior—Office of Inspector General’’, $15,000,000.

(10) ‘‘Department of Justice—Office of Inspector General’’, $2,000,000.

(11) ‘‘Department of Labor—Departmental Management—Office of Inspector General’’, $6,000,000.

(12) ‘‘Department of Transportation—Office of Inspector General’’, $20,000,000.

(13) ‘‘Department of Veterans Affairs—Office of Inspector General’’, $1,000,000.

(14) ‘‘Environmental Protection Agency—Office of Inspector General’’, $20,000,000.

(15) ‘‘General Services Administration—General Activities—Office of Inspector General’’, $15,000,000.

(16) ‘‘National Aeronautics and Space Administration—Office of Inspector General’’, $2,000,000.

(17) ‘‘National Science Foundation—Office of Inspector General’’, $2,000,000.

(18) ‘‘Small Business Administration—Office of Inspector General’’, $10,000,000.

(19) ‘‘Social Security Administration—Office of Inspector General’’, $2,000,000.

(20) ‘‘Corporation for National and Community Service—Office of Inspector General’’, $1,000,000.

 

SEC. 1108. APPROPRIATION FOR GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY OFFICE.

 

There is hereby appropriated as an additional amount for ‘‘Government Accountability Office—Salaries and Expenses’’ $25,000,000, for oversight activities relating to this Act.

 

By my count, that’s an additional $233.5 million in oversight, yielding:

4.125+0.2335 = $4,358,500,000 in “committed funds” going directly to government bureaucrats for oversight, before a single actual penny of expenditure has been “committed.”

Note that these “committed” funds need merely be “committed” by September of 2012, and not even spent yet then – this must be one hella long recession they’re planning for.

Finally, though, some good news:

SEC. 1109. PROHIBITED USES.

None of the funds appropriated or otherwise made available in this Act may be used for any casino or other gambling establishment, aquarium, zoo, golf course, or swimming pool.

Thank God for that.  No money for swimming pools.  Those must be what Obama referred to as “programs that don’t work.”

Next:  We will get to the actual expenditures!

(Sent to Jonah Goldberg, in response to this item, referring to this article at Slate.com.)

**************

Like you, I have no horse in this race (one of the few advantages of being the party on the back bench), but I find this sentence — interesting (?) — given Obama’s history:

Obama Press Conference (12/12/08):

Reporter:  “Senator Obama – excuse me, President-Elect Obama…”

BO: “Yes”

R: “Mr. President-Elect.  I know that you’ve called this press conference to announce your nominee for Secretary of Health and Human Services, but I’d be remiss in my duties…”

BO:  “I understand.”

R: “Mr. President-Elect, forgive me, sir, but I really have to ask you about the recent events in Illinois.”

BO: “I understand.”

R: “President Obama – I mean, President-Elect Obama, as you know, the United States Attorney’s Office for Northern Illinois charged the Governor of Illinois with multiple counts of bribery, fraud, and corruption.  Has Attorney Fitzgerald’s office kept you informed of the progress in the investigation?”

BO: “Actually, no.  The Justice Department is conducting its investigation….”

R: “So, you’re saying that you have not been kept abreast of the situation from the Bush Administration Justice Department.”

BO: “No, in fact….”

R: “What, exactly, then, is the Bush Administration trying to hide in this ongoing investigation?”

BO: “I couldn’t tell you that.”

R: “Of course, you couldn’t.  Mr. President-Elect, could you describe for us, precisely how shocked and appalled you are at the allegations, if true, which have been made against the Governor of Illinois, Mr. Blagojevich?”

BO: ”Well, I’m certainly shocked and appalled at the descriptions of Gov. Blagojevich’s alleged behavior.”

R:  “Mr. President-Elect, do you find it surprising that the Republicans are still trying to destroy your character and reputation with their vain attempts to link you to Gov. Blagojevich and other corrupt officials?  Don’t they know that the election is over?”

BO: “I really can’t speak for them, but I would just like to reiterate my commitment to uniting our country, liberals and conservatives, democrats and republicans, in our united vision for the future of this great country.”

R: “Thank you so much for your candid assessments, Mr. President-Elect.  If it seemed that we were unduly harsh on you, please remember that we’re just doing our job as professionals.”

BO: “I understand, and don’t worry.  Michelle’s still got you on our Christmas Card list.”

(Laughter)

R: “And now, if we could get back to the original purpose of this press conference, could you remind us, Mr. President-Elect, of the plight of the 40 million or more uninsured in this country, and how, exactly, the Bush Administration, and almost 20 years of Republican Congressional Malfeasance has brought us to these straits, and what the nomination of Senator Daschle as Secretary of Health and Human Services means for the hopes of millions of uninsured Americans…”

BO:  “I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

R:  “So there you have it.  The Bush Administration stonewalls on the investigation of Gov. Blagojevich, perhaps trying to gain some leverage from the divisions within the Illinois Democratic Party.  In the meantime, President-Elect Obama is attempting to forge ahead with the formation of his Cabinet; while at the same time cooperating fully with Mr. Fitzgerald’s suspiciously timed investigation.  We will have more comment on this rapidly-developing situation as circumstances warrant.”

(Sent to the Corner, NRO)

There’s something really creepy about Larry Craig calling Ted Stevens “Uncle Ted.”

There’s something even creepier about the fact that the RNC and the RSCC and the other R organizations  have consistently supported the Craig’s and the Stevens’ (and the Foley’s and the Chafee’s and the …. ) not only in the general elections, where it might be understandable, but also in the primaries.  And, if you want to throw another fiasco on their doorstep, just remember that the RNC convinced Tim Pawlenty not to run for the Senate in 2002, since Coleman was, from their pointy-headed research, oh-so-much-more electable.  I can guarantee you that we would not be having this stupid Franken-Coleman recount right now, if Pawlenty had been the incumbent — not with his 60% approval rating.

If the Republican Party wanted to do one thing that would set it back on the “right track,” and a thing that is totally within its control, and one that involves not a jot or tittle of soul-searching or re-defining, it would announce an immediate cessation of any sort of funding support for anyone in a Primary campaign.  That’s the place where we, the real Republicans, get to select our candidate, and it’s not the Party’s job to try to tell us whom we should choose, but rather it is their job to support our choice.  We are the party; the beltway folks and the pundits are not.

See if we can get Brooks, Frum, Parker, Buckley or any of the other intelligent, informed, intellectual “reformers” to agree to this one simple, basic, federalist, democratic (small “d”) principle.  Then, maybe, we can proceed to what should be more controversial reforms.