Some see the president struggling
to carry a wobbly pile of boxes.
Others see a brawny teamster hitching
horses to a wagon mired in mud.
I see an oarsman trying to bail out a boat
while passengers point in horror
to storm clouds on the horizon,
and inspect their own buckets for leaks.

Now that they control the government
some decide to create a new minority.
Evan Bayh and friends want every bill
to require a super majority,
guaranteeing no meaningful change.
They profess to seek a better goal.
They do: the spotlight.

It’s no wonder the market shot up,
Tim Geithner came through for his friends.
Wall Street borrows our money
to buy their mistakes with no risk.
If they get a bargain the profit is real,
if not it’s our pain they’ll feel.

As I watch the president speak silently
on half the TV screen, while the other half
tells me what he’s saying,
and how his critics will respond,
I wonder: Could the tape delay
that eliminates foul language
create a gap between news and commentary?
If we required several hours to pass
before permitting analysts to opinionate,
some of them might use the time to [...]

Obama’s budget is brave and bold,
but other actions are vague or old.
Bush holdovers, Geithner and Gates,
just don’t see what’s on their plates.
Economic woes need fast action,
but dilly-dally in Afghanistan
would barely be a change of pace.
Let troops wait ‘til a plan’s in place.
Barack beat Clinton’s main attack.
with campaign rhetoric about Iraq,
but hanging onto Bush’s team
turns change [...]

Advances in science bring progress.
That’s not always true with age.
After a certain point, the cost of years
exceeds the value of experience.
Time erodes the body like streams
cut through hills, but more quickly.
Knowledge tends to settle in pools,
then solidify as basic knowhow.
On that foundation society builds,
adding new members to bring progress.
Skilled individuals, embedded in the
expertise they [...]