On President Obama’s 100th day in office, as part of his never ending election campaign he said, “Number one, we inherited a $1.3 trillion deficit…. That wasn’t me.” The “blame it all on Bush” mantra is getting old, but this one is becoming particularly grating. I would like to direct President Obama’s attention to the United States Constitution, Article I, Section 9:
“No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law;”
Congress has the power of the purse, not the President. That means that President Bush couldn’t spend a thin dime without the approval of Congress. For the last two years of the Bush presidency, who controlled the United States Congress? The Democrats. And lest we forget, before he became President Obama, he was Senator Obama, a member in good standing of that same United States Congress. Does anyone think for a minute that the Democratic Congress run by Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi was a rubber stamp for Bush? Anything they disagreed with Bush on they would have fought tooth and nail.
Remember during the campaign when the Democrats were putting together their rescue package how the Republicans were locked out of the room and John McCain “suspended” his campaign to return to Washington to make something happen? Remember as well that Obama was too busy campaigning to similarly get involved even though he was still a sitting Senator.
Now with the shoe on the other foot, and President Obama pushing to triple the deficit, the only people fighting him in Congress are the Republicans. So this impending debt disaster is a joint effort by Obama and the Congressional Democrats.
President Obama can’t claim, like Bill Clinton, “don’t blame me, I came from Arkansas.” President Obama can’t claim, like Jimmy Carter, “don’t blame me, I came from Georgia.” President Obama came to the presidency from the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue. He was an insider, not an outsider. He owns just as much of this mess as Barney Frank, Christopher Dodd, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid.
So, Mr. President, stop playing the blame game, take responsibility and do your job.
