Thomas Friedman of the New York Times today perfectly–though unintentionally–encapsulated the modus operandi of the current administration, Congress and their political allies

Regarding the just-passed Cap and Trade Bill in the House, the supposedly serious thinker Friedman writes:

It is pathetic that we couldn’t do better. It is appalling that so much had to be given away to polluters. It stinks. It’s a mess. I detest it.

Now let’s get it passed in the Senate and make it law.

Of course, it doesn’t matter if anyone has actually read the bill. It doesn’t matter if it works. It doesn’t even matter if it is detrimental to the U.S. economy.

Just shut up and pass it.

Do something, anything, to give the appearance of bold action.

Looking back on the first six months of Obama, the same kind of logic was applied to the stimulus bill, the budget, GM, the bailouts and the closing of Gitmo.

If only Friedman, Obama and Congress abided by John Wooden’s great dictum:

Never mistake activity for achievement.

Oh, but we’re getting lots of activity, aren’t we?

That’s the sound of the cost of oil slowly rising.  It is past $69 per barrel now and analysts see it hitting $85 soon.

The price at the pump, as much as anything, was a huge thorn in the side of the Bush Administration in 2007.  People feel the pain of high gas prices almost every day.  The last year has seen gas prices in the $2 per gallon range.  If it gets above $3 per gallon, this will be trouble for Obama.

He has benefitted in his early days from relatively low gas prices that he inherited.  If it starts to go up past $3 per gallon, you will start to see 5-8 percentage points come off his approval rating.

If that happens, it’s a whole new ball game in Washington.