Agreed

Now that the 17 percent government shutdown has been demonstrated to have little real affect on either the citizens of the United States or the country's economy, it's become old news. The government is 17 percent shutdown—ho hum.

But we are rapidly moving toward debt limit deadline and this will have signifcant consequences should we not come to a negotiated settlement. The problem, of course, is that Barack Obama has said that he will not negotiate with the opposition party and has stated incorrectly and mendaciously, that negotiating between a sitting president and the congress never occurs prior to raising the debt limit. It's happened more than 17 times in the last four decades.

But no matter ... it's worth considering these words:

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. . . . Increasing America's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that "the buck stops here." Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.

This is a direct quote of Barack Obama in 2006 commenting on the Presidency of George W. Bush.

Let's take a look at those words applied to today's events:

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure." Agreed.

"It is a sign that the U.S. government can't pay its own bills." Agreed.

"It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies ..." Agreed.

"Leadership means that 'the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren." Agreed.

"America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better." Agreed.

Couldn't have said it better myself.

Maybe the President of the United States should sit back and ponder his own words. Better yet, maybe his media hampsters should make him explain how those words did apply when the debt was 9 trillion dollars in 2006, but do not apply today, when the debt is almost $17 trillion. No ... we couldn't do that, could we?