Barack Obama rejects accusation that he is taking on too much too soon

[bijou]

The new president's response ran the risk of reviving the criticism sometimes heard during his campaign and inauguration that he was prematurely ranking himself among the great American politicians.

In a speech on his 50th day in office outlining his plans to reform education, Mr Obama said: "I know there are some who believe we can only handle one challenge at a time."
He recalled that Lincoln had laid the transcontinental railway during the civil war, that Roosevelt "didn't have the luxury of choosing between ending a depression and fighting a war" and Kennedy didn't "have the luxury of choosing between civil rights and sending us to the moon".

"And we don't have the luxury of choosing between getting our economy moving now and rebuilding it over the long term," he said.

The president and his advisers believe that unless they begin to fix long-term problems now, short-term efforts to save jobs and revive credit flow will be useless.

Mr Obama has not only passed a $787 billion (£542 billion) stimulus bill but introduced a budget that looks ahead ten years and contains ambitious plans for reforming health care, energy and education, setting the stage for several time-consuming and draining legislative battles over the next two years. Every day seems to bring a new policy speech or the announcement of a forum or initiative.

Even supporters are questioning whether or not the president would be better advised to concentrate all or most of his fire on reviving the economy, and in particular, finalising the details of saving the banking sector. ...

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[Splashdown]

He knows he has a year and a half before checks and balances go back in place with midterm elections.

[thundley4]

This buffoon just doesn't get it.  It's not that he is trying to do too many things at once,(well it sort of is), it's that he is doing things that counter act each other.  You can not try and fix the economy on one hand and then try and push through a "green" agenda, which by it's very nature will hurt the economy.

[Lord Undies]

Wasn't it the White House who started the meme/rumor Obozo has "too much on his plate"?  Wasn't that their excuse for the PM Brown embarrassment?

So now we have liberals starting their own controversy and then denying the premise while trying to blame some invisible enemy?  We are living in some Strange Days.

[thundley4]

Wasn't it the White House who started the meme/rumor Obozo has "too much on his plate"?  Wasn't that their excuse for the PM Brown embarrassment?

So now we have liberals starting their own controversy and then denying the premise while trying to blame some invisible enemy?  We are living in some Strange Days.

That was the reason he had to go read to some school kids wasn't it?

[NHSparky]

And yet another comparison to Lincoln.  Memo to B. Hussein--you're not fit to hold the man's jock.

[DumbAss Tanker]

"Can" and "Should" are not the same thing, President Stoopid.  It appears to me that this is just another example of his ego outrunning his ability (A short race, considering the contestants); when faced with criticism, his natural response seems to be to push it farther rather than pausing to consider whether there might be something to it after all.   

[Atomic Lib Smasher]

He's "too tired" to deal with our allies like England, but can go after people like Limbaugh and other critics with no problem. Sure. 

[miskie]

I think that Obama is doing all this stuff at once for two reasons

- He is playing "Beat The Clock" because of the coming midterms.
- He is avoiding economic meltdown criticism via distraction.