The forest for the trees

Ever get the feeling politicians just don’t get it (rhetorical question)? Angela Merkel said today that the G-20 Summit must focus on regulation.

“We must not define growth as the top and subordinate everything to this,” she said.

The president’s speech to the General Assembly was equally disconcerting. Global financial meltdowns, Iran heading towards the bomb. And he chooses a vapid speech on … global warming. No matter your view, global warming is a long-term issue (if human-induced climate change is an issue at all). A new administration establishes its credibility in its first appearance at Turtle Bay by taking a stand on critical, pressing issues of the day. For all its faults, the previous administration did this. And whatever you say about Evil Ahmadinejad and Killer Kadafi, they certainly took a stand on more pressing issues (even though they were incoherent and/or insane).