Dana Milbank Has a Point

. . .For a change. Actually, he is one of the few left of center commentators that I occasionally enjoy, not always, but enough. The point he makes concerns the Deficit Commission.

Not yet two weeks after the voters delivered a clarion cry for change in Washington, we're already back to business as usual.

Millbank goes on to slay right and left for the mindless opposition to the Deficit Commission's recommendations. But on the right, it seems that only Grover Norquist, for whom I once had a great deal of respect, is bad mouthing the initial recommendations. He rightly pillories Pelosi, the AFL-CIO, and NOW on the left. He applauds Obama's early support:

Triangulation?

The questions are whether Obama is willing to stand up to Pelosi and whether he can weather the consequences of triangulating against the liberals. So far, so good. "Before anybody starts shooting down proposals, I think we need to listen," he said from Seoul, in an implicit rebuke of Pelosi. He also said that he's "prepared to make some tough decisions" and that "we're going to have to take actions that are difficult and we're going to have to tell the truth to the American people."

Unfortunately, Obama's track record is that he will cave to his base. But wouldn't it be ironic if he saved his Presidency with an about-face that embraced fiscal responsibility. And as Tea Partiers, would we support such a move by Obama? Would we push to get an omnibus spending reduction bill passed that he was pushing? Or would we follow Mitch McConnell's advice and do anything in our power to deny him re-election?