SATURDAY ROUNDUP

President-elect Barack Obama’s proposal to revive the economy with public works divides bloggers along their usual lines. Conservatives decry the increase in government spending, while liberals applaud Obama for putting forth solutions to the economic crisis. William Ayers’s latest denial that he isn’t a terrorist is also greeted with derision by the right.

Obama compared his plan to upgrade the country’s infrastructure and create new jobs to the interstate highway project started by President Eisenhower. But the country faces debt and entitlement liabilities that it didn’t have when Eisenhower was in power, notes Hot Air’s Ed Morrissey. Obama will be making a mistake by borrowing and spending, which is what President Bush has done, writes Don Surber.

But it’s a good thing that the president-elect is taking the lead and putting forth solutions to the economic crisis before he even gets into office, writes AMERICAblog’s Joe Sudbay. In talking about his plan, Obama was more specific about his proposals than he has been, stressing the need for better roads, schools and medical information technology, writes Political Animal’s Steve Benen.

Ayers, the former Weather Underground member, denied in an op-ed that he’s a terrorist even though he fits the legal definition of one, writes The Volokh Conspiracy’s Eric Posner. Ayers, no longer angry, is still unrepentant about the bombs that his group set off, notes JammieWearingFool.

FROM THE BLOGS:
Obama’s New Old Deal – Ed Morrissey, Hot Air
Five-Year Plan – Don Surber
How Many ‘Hopeful’ Workers? – Riehl World View
Fast Start, Short Honeymoon – M. O’Hare, Reality Based Comm.
A Public Works Push – Steve Benen, Political Animal
Ready to Hit The Ground Running – The Impolitic
Obama Addresses Crisis W/ Solutions – J. Sudbay, AMERICAblog
Was Ayers a Terrorist? – Eric Posner, Volokh Conspiracy
Unrepentant Ayers – JammieWearingFool
1984 in 2008 – Ayers Speaks – J. Rosenbaum, The Seminal

OTHER NEWS SOURCES:
Obama Banking on Large-Scale Public Works – Associated Press
Time Short, Congress Tries to Seal Auto Deal – Associated Press
Senate Campaign Chief Open to Matthews Bid – The Hill