Barack Obama’s desperate attempt to throw the spotlight on Rush Limbaugh “is the oldest trick in Washington’s book,” writes House Minority Leader John Boehner in the Washington Post. Obama and congressional Democrats have already spent more than the combined costs of Hurricane Katrina and the Iraq and Afghan wars, and to gloss over that, they’re “creating straw men—called ‘the party of no’—to rally against.”
Boehner sees “a carefully calculated campaign” by Obama’s allies to divert attention toward Limbaugh, even as middle-class families suffer, markets plunge, and businesses cut jobs. “This isn't about the leadership of political party officials or the influence of radio hosts,” he says. “It's about the need for both parties to work together toward real solutions to end this recession.” (More Barack Obama stories.)