I have to ask the question: Is Obama an optimist? I am going to have to answer in the affirmative.
We are seeing this at the macro and microlevel and in foreign and domestic policy.
1) At the microlevel, Obama is defending Timothy Geithner for Secretary of the Treasury when it is clear that Geithner was a conscious tax cheat. While working for the IMF he signed papers certifying that money he was provided to pay his U.S. income taxes would be used for that purpose. Later he was audited by the IRS for two years where he did not pay and he paid the disputed taxes. However, for two earlier years in which he had undertaken similar income tax evasion, he did not declare the income. In other words, he deliberately and consciously evaded paying his income tax even after being caught for other years. Obama is defending this income tax evader. Is this change from the Bush regime? No this is more optimism. Obama’s meme of change from the corrupt Bush years appears simply to be hollow or perhaps cynical.
The Geithner appointment, besides ratifying tax evasion, also ratifies the crony capitalist bailouts in which the New York Federal Reserve was a central player. Obama is appointing one of the key persons in aiding and abetting the current crisis. By this decision, Obama is saying Wall Street and its representatives should be running the U.S. Treasury and personal responsibility is not an issue in this estimation. What a terrible message.
2) At the macrolevel, Obama lobbied Congress for the TARP bank bailout. Even after the first $350 billion was used to bailout banks and ensure that the executives that drove their banks into insolvency would retain their jobs, salaries, and bonuses. In other words, Obama is assuming ownership for the failed Bush response to the economic crisis. This is optimism run wild. The oracle of change rushes to become identified with failures of the past. Obama in his eagerness to please identifies and takes ownership of immoral failed policies.
3) Where Obama seemed to promise that he would get us entirely out of Iraq quickly, now is talking about a presence there for years. But, more foolish than this, is that he wants to massively increase our commitment to the already failed war in Afghanistan. Not only is Afghanistan already lost, but he will be increasing our expenditures there despite a looming bankruptcy of the Federal government due to the bailouts related to #1 and #2.
In my estimation, the Obama regime is already well on its way to failure. Let me outline the issue again, though talking about change, he ratifies individual irresponsibility in his choice of Timothy Geithner, institutional irresponsibility by his support of the TARP, and foreign policy foolishness in increasing our commitment to Afghanistan. These actions epitomize my definition of crackpot ideas AND unfortunately the cost is that, unless he dramatically changes direction toward honesty and realism, his Presidency is already on the road to failure.