Obama Doesn't Have To Deal With "The Leader Of The Loyal Opposition Party"

Take your choice: Harper's day versus Obama's

Posted: June 16, 2009, 12:55 PM by NP Editor

Here's the difference between being Prime Minister of Canada and President of the United States.

Prime Minister Harper's Day:

1. Meet with leader of opposition to figure out how to avoid silly Liberal election threat without either side losing too much face.

2. Hand out more stimulus money

President Obama's Day:

1. Deal with apparent collapse of order in Iran, possibly destabilizing region and leaving U.S. plan to improve relations with mullahs in tatters.

2. Risk confrontation with North Korea by ordering Navy to confront North Korean ships suspected of carrying missiles or nuclear technology, request permission to board and search, then track ships and demand inspections by any country that allows entry.

3. Consider request from California for emergency bailout to avoid meltdown of an economy larger than Canada's. Agreeing to the request could trigger similar demands from other struggling states, but denying it could set off a collapse able to endanger the U.S. economy as a whole.

4. Try to keep health care platform from collapsing after Congression Budget Office reports that planned reforms would cost $1 trillion but still leave 36 million people uninsured. (Republican calculation of cost for each new person covered: $62,500 over 10 years).

Kelly McParland
National Post