Misdirection

Ten days ago, Obama, through his congressional lackeys, shoved an unwanted indigestible health care bill down America's throat. But then he dressed in camo, graced by a rakish ascot, and zipped off to Afghanistan to address the troops. This morning, he announced plans to look into oil drilling in the Atlantic seaboard and Gulf of Mexico (but not in the Pacific, where the real potential lies). These are feints to the right, designed to disarm, to make him appear reasonable. They are purely political. Like the malignant health bill, the worst symptoms of which will not kick in for years, this "investigation" will consume huge chunks of clock as it is picked over by committees and litigated by green groups. It's all show biz. Like the steam roller bearing down on Kevin Kline in "A Fish Called Wanda," we are watching a slow motion coup.