Obama its time to pull a Bush to get this economy back on track

The economy is on a downward tailspin and with each passing day a few thousands more lose their jobs. There is a consensus that this is next only to the Great Depression of 1930s only because this time we assume that the government will act decisively and correctly. So, any inaction or hand wringing can produce a depression out of this financial turmoil. Is Obama showing the leadership we all expect out of him (and the democrats in congress despite their pusillanimous performance during Bush years)? The answer is a clear cut NO.

Having got a great victory and still during the so called "honeymoon" period he should have used that political capital to tackle the biggest financial crisis in over 70 years (Remember, Bush wanted to use his political capital to privatize Social Security). This is the time to show leadership. He should realize this is not the time to sing kumbaya and talk about the virtues of bipartisanship. His approach to the stimulus till now has been a huge failure. If one gives around 30% of ones plan to the opposition for their support and gets zero votes, what else can we call it. I am not sure if he is naive to be taken for a ride like this by the republicans. This already compromised stimulus package is further diluted in the senate to the tune of 100 billion dollars. Do the democrats even know how to pull a punch? All i see is them waiting to cave to every ridiculous demand of the republicans. This is the place where the President, much like what Bush did during his time, threatens with a veto and gets a stimulus package that would work. This is not the time for bloody 'bipartisanship-at-the-cost-of-nation'.

There are fights that have to be fought and there are times for negotiation and deliberation. Though many in the west might not know, this is the crux of Bhagavad Gita. There are fights which have to be fought. One can hate what all Bush stood for. But that doesn't mean just because he was partisan, you would want to act different for the sake of acting different. What matters is the final result. Bipartisanship could be a means to an end. Not an end in itself. This is the time for Obama to pull a Bush. Veto this ridiculous stimulus package and force the congress to work on a more workable package within this week. Let them stay in the Hill 24/7 until they get this done.

Bush used all his political capital and power to do everything that is wrong. Its time to use all those tools to do the right thing. This is not the time to renounce those powers and tools just to differentiate oneself from Bush and the Republicans. Brains alone are useless if you don't have cajones.