E.J Dionne hits the target in the following piece after the Obama speech to congress this week. After living through one of the most reckless eras of government spending and unregulated markets that was never of a piece with fiscal responsibility, the Obama team is gathering energy to transform the way Americans see the world and how government might actually help the country climb out of the great pit of calamity it is stuck within. And with the working to escape these various mires, he has also seen his way to include health care, energy and education in his vision. Onward.

President Obama's message to the nation Tuesday night was plain and unequivocal: The era of bashing government is over. So, too, is the folklore of a marketplace capable of producing abundance without regulation, government oversight or public intervention. Addressing the deepest crisis of confidence in the market system since the Great Depression, Obama argued that the economic downturn, far from being an excuse for backing away from his ambitious plans, makes his proposals in health care, energy and education imperative.

"I reject the view that says our problems will simply take care of themselves; that says government has no role in laying the foundation for our common prosperity," Obama declared, echoing generations of American progressives before him. "For history tells a different story. History reminds us that at every moment of economic upheaval and transformation, this nation has responded with bold action and big ideas."

Faith-Based Initiative
Can Obama Restore Our Belief in Government?
By E. J. Dionne Jr.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009;
Washington Post