It was very late when the President appeared before cameras a week ago Friday and croaked out something about how great it was that people who wanted to visit national monuments would be able to do so the following day. He told us:
A few months ago, I was able to sign a tax cut for American families because both parties worked through their differences and found common ground. Now the same cooperation will make possible the biggest annual spending cut in history
The next day, when he bounded up the stairs at the Washington Monument to underscore how great it was that tourists did not have their trip to the capitol disturbed, and to revel in what was accomplished, it was easy to imagine why the President might want to steer clear of the relatively nearby memorial to his audacious predecessor, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.