And so we learn that Sen. Mitch McConnell, leader of a declining Republican caucus, wants “a weeklong cooling off period between when the [expected economic stimulus] bill is drafted and when it is voted on, allowing time to dissect it for signs of ‘fraud and waste.'”
Good for McConnell. Despite at least one, unkind protest over the Senator’s sudden, rediscovered love for fiscal sanity, I applaud his call for a time out. No matter how much a government jolt to this ailing economy may (or may not) be needed, when you’re talking about figures in the neighborhood of $850 billion, scrutiny and time to apply it are productive pursuits. I only hope McConnell and his troops don’t confuse legitimate scrutiny for politically convenient obstructionism.
Nate Silver suggests my hope is naïve.