Burr Burns Obama

Representative Burr

North Carolina senator Richard Burr has released a statement that he cannot support Obama’s nomination for the Secretary of the Treasury, Tim Geithner.  In usual fashion, The Herald Sun took the opportunity to portray Burr as an extremist.  The newspaper notes in its article that (surprise, surprise) Kay Hagen has chosen to vote yea and that the Senate Finance Committee has cleared Geither’s nomination.  It then went on to explain Burr’s reasoning.  According to the Sun, Burr is “concerned about the role Geithner played as head of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York in fighting the nation’s banking crisis,” citing a failed merger that Geither suggested for Citigroup and Wachovia.

Yeah, there’s that, and then there’s the little detail that the guy seeking to be “the steward of U.S. economic and financial systems” has committed tax fraud.  As Newt Gingrich has rallied, “Senate Republicans should make it clear that they will not permit a tax evader to become the secretary of the Treasury.”  Of course, Republicans have another choice: roll over and purr for Obama. 

The President recently threatened a group of Republicans saying, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done.”  No, I suppose not.  They should just go along to get along.  Why bother being a patriot?  Now is not the time for that!  Now’s the time to support Barry (isn’t he cute?).  Besides, listening to a view opposite Obama’s might involve understanding sentences more complicated than “Yes, we can.”

In other words, hip! hip! for Richard Burr.