The logic of statism assumes that politicians are a superior breed, better suited to run industries than any corporate CEO, and qualified to spend the stupendous amount of money extracted from taxpayers more intelligently than they could. Once the functions of government move beyond essential expenses, such as national defense and border security, the rationale behind every additional tax dollar is based on the greater wisdom of the political class. You cannot be trusted to support the arts, care for the indigent, respect the environment, or do any of the other things Washington spends your tax money on.

For your Sunday half time reading, another great essay by Doctor Zero that's short, sweet, and full of red meat!  Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing...

UPDATE: Michael Gerson is realizing that it's all about the O!:

I can recall no other major American speech in which the narcissism of a leader has been quite so pronounced. It might be compared to Gen. Douglas MacArthur’s “I shall return” -- which made it sound like MacArthur intended to reconquer the Philippines single-handedly. But MacArthur, at least, imagined himself as embodying his country, not transcending it. He did not assert that while the Japanese invasion was certainly excessive, America had been guilty of provocations of its own -- and now, in the MacArthur era, things would be finally different.
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At the United Nations, Obama set out to denigrate American goodness so he can become our rescuer. The speech had nothing to do with the confident style of Democratic rhetoric found in Roosevelt, Truman and Kennedy. It insulted that tradition. And no one is likely ever to quote the speech -- except to deride it.

He really nails it in his discussion of the narcissist-in-chief, read the whole thing.

Rocketman

“It was a very naïve, Wilsonian speech, and very revealing of Obama’s foreign policy,” says Bolton. “Overall, it was so apologetic for the actions of prior administrations, in an effort to distance Obama from them, that it became yet another symbol of American weakness in the wake of the president’s decision to abandon missile sites in Poland and the Czech Republic, and his recent manifest hesitation over what to do in Afghanistan.”

Weasel Zippers provides a video of Bolton being interviewed on FOX by Megan Kelly, during which he says of the President, "He put Israel on the chopping block"...

i wonder if there's any new cases of buyers remorse in Manhattan today?

UPDATE: Bolton isn't the only one dissatisfied with Obama's performance to date.  A quote from a time magazine interview published today:

What's your take on President Obama thus far?
Weak. Waffling, wavering, ambiguous and overwhelmingly concessionary.

Spoken by the obviously racist, h8ting, bastion of wingnuttia...Ralph Nader ?!?

UPDATE II: Perhaps the title of the director of the Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom at the Heritage Foundation, Nile Gardiner's, essay title says it all; "The UN loves Barack Obama because he is weak".

He is the first American president who has made an art form out of apologizing for the United States, which he has done on numerous occasions on foreign soil, from Strasbourg to Cairo. The Obama mantra appears to be – ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do to atone for your country. This is a message that goes down very well in a world that is still seething with anti-Americanism contempt.
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Simply put, Barack Obama is loved at the UN because he largely fails to advance real American leadership. This is a dangerous strategy of decline that will weaken US power and make her far more vulnerable to attack.

Do yourself a favor and read the whole thing...

UPDATE III: Thanks to Nice Deb for the link in her roundup of these revoltin' developments.

Something tells me that from here on out the road is going to get mighty tough to hoe for Mr. Obama...

Rocketman