Personal Aside: Don’t Chide Obama for Naming Retreads: The Lefty Moves Will Come Soon Enough—in the Form of Court Appointments.

Conservatives shouldn’t chortle too much over the beginning appointments made by Barack Obama, jibing that they are re-treads from retaining George W. Bush’s secretary of defense Bob Gates to picking Hillary Clinton for secretary of state, recycling Paul Volcker (an original Jimmy Carter appointment) to plucking up Larry Summers and making him a White House adviser. I had feared from the outset that the appointments would be denizens of the Harvard or University of Chicago faculty lounges…theorists with no experience whatever, similar to those Franklin Roosevelt picked and who paralyzed the recovery.

I would damn sight rather be governed by Bob Gates as defense chief, Paul Volcker as head of an economic commission and Larry Summers than some of the names who were suggested. At any rate, Obama will turn leftward in time…which will upset us all: with appointments to the federal bench and regulatory agencies.

Sometimes conservatives bother me…as when they engage in the absurd hysterical laughter that judging from the above appointments, Republicans have won the election. What nonsense. In that connection, while I share the view that Rush Limbaugh is a priceless resource for conservatives, when I tuned in to him yesterday he was condemning Obama for saying that he would supply “the vision—that’s my job.” Well, frankly, Rush, it IS. And it doesn’t mean he is going to be hands-off. Ronald Reagan supplied the vision during two years of his administration without concentrating unduly on specifics. That’s what Obama is saying, Rush! Let’s not in our rush to chortle over re-treads prod them into changing course and naming true lefties.

Every so often, conservatives ought to sit back and listen to themselves…and on this Thanksgiving Day…thank God that thus far the appointments made have been reasonably centrist from the Democratic party’s standpoint.

Don’t worry—the time is coming when we will see the leftward tilt…pray God it’s not unduly heavy…of this administration.