Newsweek's Evan Thomas on Friday said President Obama's just-released 2012 budget is a profile in cowardice.
Such occurred on PBS's "Inside Washington" (video follows with transcript and absolutely no need for additional commentary):
GORDON PETERSON, HOST: The Washington Post editorial says the President's new budget has kicked the hard choices down the road. The New York Times editorial says on paper the President's $3.7 trillion budget is encouraging. Wall Street Journal editorial says the President is lying in wait to ambush Republicans when they propose their real spending cuts. Take your pick. Colby, he punted, the budget’s encouraging, he’s lying in ambush. Which is it?
COLBY KING, WASHINGTON POST: All three, and because they are not contradictory. He is playing rope a dope. What we’re seeing now taking place in Congress is really the side show. The big game under the big tent is going to be the entitlement fight which will come later.
PETERSON: Charles?
CHARLES KRAUTHAMMER: One of the most cynical budgets in modern memory. This is a President who told the Washington Post before his inaugural that we can no longer kick the can of entitlements down the road. He explodes spending for two years under the guise of emergency spending because of a recession. Now the recession is over. What does he do? Nothing on entitlements.
PETERSON: Nina?
NINA TOTENBERG, NPR: Cynical? I think probably shrewd. Whatever he proposes in terms of the entitlements he observed at his press conference would have exploded immediately. There has to be a big deal. Now, there is a lot of "After you, Alphonse" going on here between the Republicans in the Congress and the President, but in the last analysis, that’s what we are talking about.
PETERSON: Evan?
KRAUTHAMMER: The budget itself admits that it adds $7 trillion in debt over the next decade. And his own Secretary of the Treasury admitted in Congress this week that it is unsustainable. He did not lead and it is a huge failing.
