It's past time for President Obama to show some leadership

By Steven Pearlstein
WashPost
Wednesday, February 17, 2010

It's a rotten time in Washington, and I'm not just talking about the snow. Health-care reform, financial regulation, the jobs bill, the long-term budget deficit, energy and climate change -- everywhere you turn, there's political stalemate. Poll numbers are plummeting, and many good people either have been reduced to shameless pandering (John McCain) or are simply giving up and going home (Byron Dorgan, Evan Bayh, Billy Tauzin).

While we're passing out the blame, however, let's not forget a heaping helping for the public. I can genuflect with the best of them before "the basic decency and wisdom of the American people," but the truth is that on many issues these days, the American people are badly confused.

They want Wall Street to be reined in, but they're dead set against more regulation.

They want everyone to have access to affordable health insurance, but they're wary of expanding the role of government.

(More here.)