Call Obama what you want...

... but he isn't stupid, is he?

On the heels of his State of the Union speech, he takes the GOP invitation to come to the caucus retreat in Baltimore, MD and do a Q&A meeting with the Republican leaders of the House. He gives a 19 minute speech, and follows it with a long and uninterrupted "dialogue" (his words, not mine)... and all of it broadcast on C-Span Network. You can watch the whole thing on YouTube, should you care to do so. I did...

The meeting was telling, to say the least. First of all, it gives a clear view of WHY Obama uses a teleprompter so much. He isn't any better of a speaker "off-the-cuff" than Bush was. It is only when he is pushed by the GOP members that he puts aside the fluff and gets to the heart of the matter in question. I mention this not because I think it is a character flaw or that it is a mark against the man... that is simply silly to think. I mention this because I have a sneaking suspicion that this is something that Obama and his staff could use to their benefit later on. He IS capable of clear and unambiguous statements when it comes to his policy ideals, and when pushed, he will give it. If the policy in question proves sound, this can be used to show he stuck to his guns and WAS RIGHT. This is only one-half of the coin, I know... but in today's political climate, just being right once could be enough to swing popular opinion back towards Obama's initial agenda.

He squared off against some tough questions, not the least of which came from some up-and-coming GOP "rock stars". Paul Ryan (R-WI) hit him with a tough budgetary question as a ranking member of the Budgetary Committee... and Obama was forced to defer the meat of his answer to another date. One of the toughest questions came from Jason Chaffetz (R-UT) about the failure of both Congressional Democrats and the Obama Administration to operate according to the promised "change" in how Washington was going to work in a more bipartisan manner. He stated quite clearly that he didn't feel he or any of his House Republican members were being "obstructionist"... but that they were routinely labeled as such by Democrats, when THEY (Dems) were the obstructionist factor in policy planning and implementation over the last year. Obama did take some responsibility for these failings, and deferred some blame to the GOP too.

These are the kinds of tough questions that are going to make or break the Obama White House over the next year... and I applaud Obama for having the hutzpah to do this meeting. I don't think it will happen too many more times, unless the Dems can make sure that the President is a little more prepared for the questions, but it might... it just might.

More importantly, though, I think this meeting gives credibility to the "town hall" movement that so many Democrats and liberal pundits have been dismissing across the nation. This was a "Congressional town hall meeting" and it shows what good can come from these sorts of meetings. I'd LOVE to see Senators and Governors forced by such precedents to have to attend and participate in these sorts of meetings, and even if these meetings don't end up gaining the ends I would personally want to see achieved, just knowing a debate occurred would make me feel a whole lot better about the effort. THIS is a good way to get the conservative message out there to the general public that normally refuses to listen to typical conservative outlets or speakers... and it is an opportunity for Obama and the Dems to actually defend their positions, should they choose to do so.

Now, before I close, I don't want anyone to think I LIKE what Obama said (ahem... RYAN). He did far too much of the now nearly ritual "It's not my fault" blame deferral, and kept talking about the "mess" he walked into. However, this is easily countered when he is talking to freshman Representatives and Senators who can also say exactly the same thing, and call for answers as to how the problems are going to be FIXED, rather than who casued them. I'm simply saying that this is a GOOD forum for clear and open debate, and that the American public can gain plain insight into the political machinations of "life on the Hill" through such forums.

This kind of debate and discussion should be a focus for the conservative movement, meaning we should call for more of this from all corners of the Government, and that more efforts to expand the "town hall" movement should be made in every state.