Nowhere Man

Doesn't have a point of view, Knows not where he's going to, Isn't he a bit like you and me? Nowhere Man, please listen, You don't know what you're missing, Nowhere Man, the world is at your command. He's as blind as he can be, Just sees what he wants to see, Nowhere Man can you see me at all?

Nowhere Man by the Beattles.

During a recent interview with Noticias Univision 23, President Barack Obama admits that he is philosophically a moderate Republican.

"The truth of the matter is that my policies are so mainstream that if I had set the same policies that I had back in the 1980s, I would be considered a moderate Republican."

Obama would not have had the courage to make that statement during the election. Bruce Bartlett takes the Univision interview as proof of Obama's conservative leanings. I think that is giving Obama too much credit. Obama told Bob Woodward that he is a Blue Dog Democrat. Obama doesn't seem to understand that Blue Dogs came from the racist Dixiecrats. Obama doesn't think deeply about what he stands for. In researching this post, I found this CNBC interview with Woodward. It seems Woodward came to the same conclusion.

‘A Divided Man’TFT : How does Obama compare in broad terms to other presidents you’ve covered? BW: Well, he’s very, very smart. But there’s a “divided man” quality to him. He tells people, “I’m a blue dog. I want fiscal restraint and order.” At the same time, as he told me, “I don’t want to cut entitlements in any way that would hurt vulnerable populations.” So, there isn’t the quality of, “This is how we’re going to do it.” When I was in the Navy in the ‘60s an executive officer had a plaque in his office that said, “He who does not know to which port he is sailing has no favorable wind.” Sometimes it is not clear whether Obama is sailing to the fiscal restraint port –or to the “protect-the-entitlements-at-all-costs” port.

If Obama doesn't know what he stands for, it makes me wonder why he wants to serve in government.

Update: National security blogger Steve Hynd has a theory about why Obama wanted to serve in government.

As to the Q at the end of yr post. When he entered office he was worth just over $3m. now over $6m.