this is an adventure

Shlaes on the White House’s challenge in dealing with bankers: “‘Fat cats’ is what President Barack Obama just called bankers. He also invited them to the White House this week. The reason for the mixed message is that the president is cross with banks: they have refused to heed his orders to lend.”

We knew this game was coming. “Three U.S. citizens detained in Iran and charged with espionage will stand trial, Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki said on Monday, in a case that could further strain relations between Tehran and Washington.” Get Bill Clinton on the phone again, Mr. President.

“When the recession started, the Transportation Department had only one person earning a salary of $170,000 or more. Eighteen months later, 1,690 employees had salaries above $170,000. The trend to six-figure salaries is occurring throughout the federal government, in agencies big and small, high-tech and low-tech.”

Capretta and Levin: “The only plausible reason to put more people in government-run insurance would be cost control, but no one believes the federal government now knows how to control costs sensibly…rather than build on the failed cost-control model of Medicare, they now want to actually further burden Medicare itself.”