...this is an observation on how ineffectual both Congress and the administration have become. Years of political spin, rosy reports that never seemed to match the pictures on television -- remember 'Brownie, you're doing a heck of a job' -- and endless partisan turf wars have left the country cynical and suspicious of everything Washington says and does, so Washington is unable to generate the political will to do anything. Government's credibility has sunk so low that the pronouncements, no matter how dire, from the lame duck president, and the even more unpopular Congress, go unheeded if not unheard.
Schieffer concluded: "Yes, there's a new fire chief coming January 20th, but his first assignment is not to put out the economic fire. First, he must restore the government's credibility."
