Obama Bipartisan?

Should Republican Scott Brown tomorrow win the Massachusetts senate seat held by the Kennedy family since 1952, it will create a Haitian-sized political earthquake in Washington. No longer will Democrats own both houses of congress. A Scott victory should move the Obama administration toward the bipartisanship Obama promised in 2008.

Maybe. Maybe not.

Jake Tapper of ABC News reports that yesterday, Obama had this to say about the party he may have to start working with Wednesday:

I understood this the minute I was sworn into office. . . that there were going to be some who stood on the sidelines, who were protectors of the big banks, and protectors of the big insurance companies, protectors of the big drug companies, who would say, “You know what, we can take advantage of this crisis -- because it's going to be so bad, even though we helped initiate these policies, there's going to be a sleight of hand here because we're going to let Democrats take responsibility. We're going to let them make the tough choices. We're going to let them rescue the economy. And then we can tap into that anger and that frustration.” It's the oldest play in the book.

What a whine!

If Obama truly believes Republicans would rather sit on the sidelines wishing him ill then join him in solving our serious economic crisis, bipartisanship will remain a dream. Short-term change is in his hands. Let’s hope he acts wisely.