Obama: America Has a Debt Problem and a Failure of Leadership

In an email circulating the Internet, then Senator Barack Obama is quoted from 2006:

The fact that we are here today to debate raising America 's debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the US Government cannot pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government's reckless fiscal policies. Increasing America 's debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that, "the buck stops here.' Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.

This just seemed too good, so I snopesed it. It's true! Barack Obama did say that. Later, someone asked President Barack Obama about that quote, and he said:

I think that it's important to understand the vantage point of a senator versus the vantage point of a president. When you're a senator, traditionally what's happened is, this is always a lousy vote. Nobody likes to be tagged as having increased the debt limit — for the United States by a trillion dollars. As president, you start realizing, you know what, we, we can't play around with this stuff. This is the full faith and credit of the United States. And so that was just an example of a new senator making what is a political vote as opposed to doing what was important for the country. And I'm the first one to acknowledge it.

I'm sorry, Mr. President, but I have to take issue with your answer. You can't have it both ways. It sounds like you're just playing politics. You say you were grandstanding in the senate. A real statesman would do the right thing at all times. Sound economics isn't rocket science. I took economics and physics in college, and let me tell you, physics is much harder. I cannot accept the argument that you were just ignorant. What do you really believe?