Obama's Field of Dreams

File this one under stimulus breaking news. "What was marketed as a jobs bill masks an under-the-radar push for Obama's agenda, some say." Really? That's the dek on a bit of analysis from Time's Michael Grunwald–about a year and a half late. When the president visits an electric car battery plant to tout his jobs agenda, it's not hard to see the ulterior motive. Worldwide supply of electric car batteries outstrips demand by three to one. Making a product no one is buying is hardly a recipe for long-term employment success.

Like the ghostly voice in "Field of Dreams," Rahm Emanuel's "you never let a crisis go to waste" comment will haunt us for some time. Almost every action taken in the name of creating jobs has thus far done the exact opposite, because these actions are mucked up with so much of the administration's agenda baggage. They could be much further towards a fix, but simply choose not to. Which is why John Boehner's call to fire Obama's economic team isn't so crazy after all, despite this piece from the Washington Post's Ruth Marcus. Such a suggestion from a man with a nationwide approval rating lower than Nancy Pelosi's would usually be met with widespread scorn, but no longer. The public is increasingly aware of the real "jobs agenda," one that has little to do with getting them back to work. The jig, as they say, is up.