How do you negotiate with a President who cannot be trusted? -- By Ernest Istook, The Washington Times

President Obama’s dishonesty is a huge barrier to resolving the stalemate in Washington.

How do you work with someone who weaves circles of deception around the truth, adding layer after layer after layer, much like Russian nesting dolls?

Obama wants to borrow more because he wants to spend more. His official budget in April proposed $160-billion in new spending this year alone, but he is being quiet about that for now. He refuses to negotiate, knowing that one demand would be that he wouldn’t get any part of that $160-billion.
Let me guide you through some more layers of Obama’s deceptions:

Hostage-taking

The President claims every Republican offer includes some dismantling of Obamacare. Yet multiple bills recently passed the House that are silent on Obamacare and would do nothing except fund separate and specific things like the military, our national parks, the National Institutes of Health, veterans’ benefits and more.

Obama and Senate Leader Harry Reid incredibly dismiss this with labels that do not fit, declaring that it is “hostage-taking” and that “piecemeal” legislation is somehow like a gun to the head. Reporters nod robotically instead of asking obvious questions.

It is normal for government to be funded by a series of separate appropriation bills, each produced by one of the twelve appropriations subcommittees in each house of Congress. It is a sign of failure when that doesn’t happen and everything instead is packaged into a “take it or leave it” giant omnibus bill. That pushes decision-making into the back rooms.

Packing all funding into one bill is bad government because it cuts most members of Congress out of the process and concentrates decision-making into the hands of a few at the top. Presidents usually like this because it is less democratic and more autocratic and they can negotiate just with leaders. The practice minimizes the attention to each agency and program. It eliminates the normal opportunities to offer amendments to weed out the junk.

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