Smiley tries to re-define the word “lie” as giving information that turns out to be incorrect, whether or not you knew it to be at the time.  Logically, then Tavis Smiley must think Obama lied about the stimulus plan’s impact on unemployment.  Obama said that the stimulus would keep unemployment under 8%.  It’s been over 9% for almost his entire presidency.  By Tavis Smiley’s definition, Obama lied to the American people.  He wanted a Kenseyian solution, and he sold the stimulus bill to the American people.  The fact that Obama honestly believed the stimulus would work is, according to Smiley, irrelevant.

By Tavis Smiley’s confused attempt at logic, Merle Hodge lied when he said the Rams would beat the Eagles this week; and the entire sports world lied when they said the Patriots would beat my beloved Giants in Superbowl XLII.  It’s an idiotic stance to take, and if liberals at PBS think NPR was right for firing Juan Williams, PBS should take a long look at Tavis Smiley’s contract.

If you think Obama will announce a serious plan or somehow move the ball on jobs next Thursday, you have not been paying attention these past two years.  Obama and his advisers seem to think that merely giving a speech is enough; that it somehow solves something.  It doesn’t.  Words are just words.  But even more ridiculous is that they seem to believe that Republicans daring to delay yet another speech is somehow obstructing progress.

Moreover, if there is some magical incantation that Obama could use to create jobs, why wait until next week?  The President can recall the Congress and get them back to work now.  Republicans have been asking him to do that for weeks.  When asked why Obama had to address Congress at all, his Press Secretary, Jay Carney, committed a textbook Washington gaffe (emphasis mine):

“He wants to speak before Congress because he recognizes that while there are things he can do without Congress, and he will do them, there are actions that need to be taken with Congress that require legislation to grow the economy and create jobs. And he wants to go to Congress, speak directly to members of Congress, and layout his proposals.“

Really?!? What is it that Obama can do without Congress to create jobs? Why hasn’t he done them yet? When will he do them? What possible reason could he have for waiting two and a half years? Doesn’t this mean that Obama is misleading the public when he tries to blame the bad economy and slow job growth on hurricanes, earth quakes, tsunamis, Arab uprisings, greedy bankers, greedy investors, greedy businesses, George W. Bush, Lord Voldemort, S. K. Pagoat and the one-armed man?

This whole episode is driven by Obama’s massive ego.  It takes substantial hubris to run on “Hope and Change,” and to say, without laughing, that your mere nomination for president “was the moment when the rise of the oceans began to slow and our planet began to heal.“  It takes willful delusion to think that America cannot wait one day for your eighth attempt at a jobs proposal.