It's ok to laugh

Even though the future of our country is hanging by a thread, sometimes it's best to bow to the absurd. Certainly it's therapeutic.

And so, fresh from the editing consoles of the clever folks at The Tonight Show, I present this 15-second clip.



Pres. Barack Obama, who (politically) functions as The Adult in the Room, this week had the audacity to collaborate with The Loyal Opposition. The deal, which still must be approved by both legislative chambers, gets him a 13-month extension of federal unemployment benefits (among other crumbs) and gives Republicans a two-year, across-the-board extension of the (so-called) Bush-era tax cuts.

The agreement has Republicans all giddy'n'stuff. Ideology-bound Democrats, on the other hand, are apoplectic. The President, answering a reporter's question during a press conference yesterday, tells us why he intentionally pissed-off his own party.

"[If compromise is a sign of weakness,] if that's the standard by which we are measuring success or core principles, then let's face it, we will never get anything done. People will have the satisfaction of having a purist position and no victories for the American people. And we will be able to feel good about ourselves and sanctimonious about how pure our intentions are and how tough we are, and in the meantime, the American people are still seeing themselves not able to get health insurance because of preexisting conditions or not being able to pay their bills because their unemployment insurance ran out.

"That can't be the measure of how we think about our public service. That can't be the measure of what it means to be a Democrat. This is a big, diverse country. Not everybody agrees with us. I know that shocks people. The New York Times editorial page does not permeate across all of America. Neither does The Wall Street Journal editorial page. Most Americans, they're just trying to figure out how to go about their lives and how can we make sure that our elected officials are looking out for us. And that means because it's a big, diverse country and people have a lot of complicated positions, it means that in order to get stuff done, we're going to compromise."

This is what collaboration looks like -- it's bound to rankle my-way-or-the-highway types. Pres. Obama failed to wring a drop of cooperation from Democratic leaders, so he declared (dare I say) independence from his party, turned to the GOP and cut a deal. For that, and for giving us those whirling Democrats, he deserves credit.

That's where my admiration ends.

The deal, while undeniably collaborative, is not in our best long-term interest. It's just more of the same -- unfunded appeasement of unthinking masses. Between tax cuts and increased spending, it's projected to add $1 trillion to the deficit.

No one who's party to this expensive compact should be anything but ashamed.