Your Abbreviated Pundit Round-up

Saturday punditry. And not exactly consensus about the tone in DC. Well, this will be written up as an Obama victory, even though the bill is nothing to be proud of [check the list of cuts. Still, a win's a win].

Bob Herbert:

It was good to see the president, ordinarily so cool, so accommodating, exhibiting some real fire the other night. It seems to have done some good.

Charles Blow:

Republicans are trying to draw Democrats into a screaming match because they know they’re better at it. They are the masters of shrill — masters of stoking ignorance and rousing rabble.

Democrats, on the other hand, should know better, especially No Drama Obama. He comes across as much more competent when he appears unflappable. That’s part of what inspires so much confidence in him, and confidence is all people had to go on with the stimulus bill. (I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that virtually no one read the entire tome.)

Remember, rancor is the Republican briar patch.

Gail Collins:

But think of it this way — the drama in the Senate drove Tom Daschle completely out of the news. In a week or so, nobody will even remember that he was nominated for anything.

Ezra has an excellent rundown on the Tom Daschle replacements, and sensibly splits the jobs Daschle would have had into HHS admin and White House Office of Health Reform. It's got a good feel for what's out there, from Rosa DeLauro to John Podesta (who could fill both jobs.) The worry on the left remains Phil Bredesen at HHS.

Mark Blumenthal: Wording matters. Some of the recent surveys changed their stimulus survey wording as well as dollar amounts.

So we have yet more reason for skepticism about the apparent decline in support for the stimulus package.

Charlie Cook: Obama needs to do it his way, not the Hill's way.

David Broder: It just hit me. Republicans are screwed. And they wouldn't have elected Michael Steele as RNC chair if they didn't realize it, too.

WaPo editorial:

The former vice president should apologize for, not defend, his administration's terrorism policies.

Better late than never.

Peter Robinson: I wrote this column before the stimulus passed. Now don't I look like an idiot.