Obama’s “jobs plan” will certainly be another ridiculously partisan and utterly unspecific demonstration of how to use a teleprompter.  But within the cliched rhetoric, Obama will, one would hope, ask for something.  Whatever it is, give it to him.

If Republicans truly believe that Obama’s plans are wrong headed (they are), let Obama have what he asks for: extending employment benefits (again); lowering social security withholding (again–this way most workers won’t even pay that pittance in taxes); more infrastructure spending (maybe this time, shovel-ready won’t be a hack punchline?); increase taxes on the fictional “trillionaires;” drop the “private jet” deduction (in other words, make private jet’s not deductible).

None of these will do a damn thing.  If Obama wants to claim that shooting spit balls at a runaway train will help, give him all the paper he wants.  The Republicans in the House can allow some of their less conservative (or alternatively, safer) members to go along with whatever Nancy and Harry and Obama can dream up.  Don’t fight, don’t cluck and strut, just let Obama have what he asks for and let him own the result.

Obama dallied while he had a pliable Congress and the economy stalled again, burdened by new regulations and uncertainty.  Now that he has had a year and a half of an unfriendly House, let him have his due, and ask the voters to judge him and the rest of Congress on the result.  At a minimum, Obama will cement his legacy as a one term president.  On the up side, there is potential for a Galtian, be-careful-what-you-ask-for moment, where we can finally put to bed the notion that you can create jobs by lynching businessman with the tax code.

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.