Krugman zings President Obama this morning:

After the Democratic “shellacking” in the midterm elections, everyone wondered how President Obama would respond. Would he show what he was made of? Would he stand firm for the values he believes in, even in the face of political adversity?

On Monday, we got the answer: he announced a pay freeze for federal workers. This was an announcement that had it all. It was transparently cynical; it was trivial in scale, but misguided in direction; and by making the announcement, Mr. Obama effectively conceded the policy argument to the very people who are seeking — successfully, it seems — to destroy him.

So I guess we are, in fact, seeing what Mr. Obama is made of.

Elsewhere, the Times describes Obama’s pitiful begging for Republicans to at least extend unemployment benefits when he rolls over to their continuation of tax cuts for the rich.

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How pitiful is it? The Republicans demand that unemployment benefits be paid for, but not the huge giveaways to the wealthy.

More on the Obama capitulation here.

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