An Offer You Can't Refuse

(Because NRO doesn't let me link to webposts separately, below is Mark Steyn's post in full on Obama's "Chicago-style" handling of dissent. Not very goo AT ALL.]

This seems, at the very least, somewhat heavy-handed, as well as a not altogether appropriate use of cabinet officials' time. Sen. Jon Kyl (Republican of Arizona) has the temerity to suggest the stimulus is a bust, and immediately the Big O dispatches half the cabinet to write letters to his governor:

The White House on Tuesday released letters from four cabinet secretaries to Arizona Gov. Jan Brewer, a Republican, citing Kyl’s comments and outlining transportation, housing, Indian education and other projects in his home state they said would be eliminated if the senator has his way...

Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, one of two Republicans in Obama’s cabinet, made no attempt to conceal his needling.

Kyl “publicly questioned whether the stimulus is working and stated that he wants to cancel projects that aren’t presently under way,” LaHood wrote Brewer. “If you prefer to forfeit the money we are making available to your state, as Senator Kyl suggests, please let me know.”

Why not just break his legs in the Senate parking lot? Kyl "publicly questioned" the stimulus? We can't have that, can we? The "Dissent Is The Highest Form Of Patriotism" bumper sticker was canceled by executive order on January 20th.

In other news:

Obama Calls Economic Crisis Transformative

Hey, "transformative" is my word. And it's not a compliment.