THREE BY THIRD:

Obama: The Grand Strategy (Charles Krauthammer, April 24, 2009, Washington Post)

In the service of his ultimate mission -- the leveling of social inequalities -- President Obama offers a tripartite social democratic agenda: nationalized health care, federalized education (ultimately guaranteed through college) and a cash-cow carbon tax (or its equivalent) to subsidize the other two.

Problem is, the math doesn't add up. Not even a carbon tax would pay for Obama's vastly expanded welfare state. Nor will Midwest Democrats stand for a tax that would devastate their already crumbling region.

What is obviously required is entitlement reform, meaning Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. That's where the real money is -- trillions saved that could not only fund hugely expensive health and education programs but also restore budgetary balance.

Except that Obama has offered no real entitlement reform.

He needs the Third Way to universalize health and provide more education money, it's just a matter of him taking credit for conservative ideas so that Democrats will vote for them.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 1, 2009 7:24 AM