America is truly screwed as long as these clowns remain in charge

The Washington Post's Dana Milbank, certainly no foe of the Obama Administration, chronicles a truly surreal scene:

"Lunch at the National Press Club on Wednesday caused some serious indigestion.

It wasn't the food; it was the entertainment.  Christina Romer, chairman of President Obama's Council of Economic Advisers, was giving what was billed as her "valedictory" before she returns to teach at Berkeley, and she used the swan song to establish four points, each more unnerving than the last:

She had no idea how bad the economic collapse would be. She still doesn't understand exactly why it was so bad. The response to the collapse was inadequate. And she doesn't have much of an idea about how to fix things.

What she did have was a binder full of scary descriptions and warnings, offered with a perma-smile and singsong delivery: "Terrible recession. . . . Incredibly searing. . . . Dramatically below trend. . . . Suffering terribly. . . . Risk of making high unemployment permanent. . . . Economic nightmare."

Anybody want dessert?"

These are the people in charge of managing our tottering economy?  No wonder America's financial picture seems to be headed straight for the abyss.

"The valedictory was becoming more of an elegy. At the end of the depressing forum, the moderator read a question submitted by a member of the audience: 'You seem like you'd be a lot of fun at parties. Are you?'"

Unbelievable.  Fiddling while Rome burns, indeed.

What's even worse is that not only is that not only is no one immediately taking over the duties of the cheery yet clueless Romer, Dear Leader doesn't even seem to have anyone waiting in the on-deck circle for this vitally important position:

"The White House said Aug. 9 that a successor to Christina Romer, chair of the White House Council of Economic Advisers, would be named “by September 3rd, when Dr. Romer leaves her post.” That’s today, and no announcement is planned before the holiday. The West Wing has been flummoxed over a replacement. The Chicago crowd likes campaign stalwart Austan Goolsbee, now working under Romer, and no obvious alternative to him emerged. Goolsbee’s good on TV, and they need a communicator. But some aides argue for keeping a woman on the econ. team."

Well, go right ahead and take your sweet time getting your quotas tweaked just right, Mr. Obama.  It's not like we're in an economic crisis or anything.

This is exactly what all that promised "hope and change" nonsense is getting us.  Had enough yet?