they used to say things like this about the debt ceiling. i wonder who it was: âUnfortunately, Congress consistently brings the Government to the edge of default before facing its responsibility. This brinkmanship threatens the holders of government bonds and those who rely on Social Security and veterans benefits. Interest rates would skyrocket, instability would occur in financial markets, and the Federal deficit would soar. The United States has a special responsibility to itself and the world to meet its obligations. It means we have a well-earned reputation for reliability and credibilityâtwo things that set us apart from much of the world.â
The fact that we are here today to debate raising Americaâs debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government canât pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Governmentâs reckless fiscal policies. ⦠Increasing Americaâs debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that âthe buck stops here.â 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. - Barack Obama 2006 Back when he was an adult
so if obama was wrong to vote against it then are republicans right now? he is at least man enough to admit he was wrong then. The White House said Monday that President Barack Obama regrets his vote as a senator in 2006 against raising the debt limit - a vote he's now pressuring Congress to take. Obama "thinks it was a mistake," presidential spokesman Jay Carney told reporters. "He realizes now that raising the debt ceiling is so important to the health of this economy and the global economy that it is not a vote that, even when you are protesting an administration's policies, you can play around with." http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/04/11/obama-debt-ceiling-vote_n_847627.html
One thing Obama has not done, unlike the drop-dead, stunned goof, drooling cretin freshman republicans, is sign any paper that says he can't change his mind on spending, revenue, or the debt ceiling. It takes a special kind of freakin' stupid to say, in effect, "taxes are the sole cause of all problems, so we will never raise them under any circumstances, no matter if the facts change or new facts are brought to light", and sign your name to it. Those morons have put the old guard, read experienced, republicans in a real bind.
The White House said Monday that President Barack Obama regrets his vote as a senator in 2006 against raising the debt limit - a vote he's now pressuring Congress to take. ------------------------ Apology accepted. Meanwhile what action is he taking now that he will regret in a year from now or two years from now and will apologize for? Obama doesn't strike me as a fast learner.
I applaud Ronald Reagan for his original statement (quoted in the OP). I think the debt ceiling shenanigans represent a useless charade and are a complete and utter embarassment. Obama's 2006 quote suggests to me he's a politician, first and foremost, which doesn't bode well for the US of A. But then again, I believe the whole American political machine is broken.