Presidents almost invariably face a Big Moment in their first term that defines their tenure thereafter, their chances of reelection, and their legacy. For Bush it was his response 9/11 and the subsequent decision to invade Iraq. For Clinton it was his reaction to the Republican "takeover" of 1994 and the government shutdown.
Barack Obama has already met his Big Moment - and he's not even president yet. The stimulus plan he announced yesterday is make or break, for him, and for the country. It is unprecedented in its scale and complexity. The terrifying truth is that nobody - politicians, economists - can say with any confidence if it will work.
David Brooks has a brilliant column out today, describing what's at stake here with his usual clarity - and he gives a vivid picture of the mindbending speed with which this administration will have to move:
His staff will be searching for the White House restrooms, and they will have to make billion-dollar decisions by the hour. He is asking Congress to behave and submit in a way it never has. He has picked policies that are phenomenally hard to implement, let alone in weeks. The conventional advice for presidents is: focus your energies on a few big things. Obama just blew the doors off that one. Maybe Obama can pull this off, but I have my worries. By this time next year, he’ll either be a great president or a broken one.
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