Obama: Stimulus Critics 'Misguided'

President Obama goes to bat for his stimulus package today in an editorial in the Washington Post, calling it “more than a prescription for short-term spending—it’s a strategy for America’s long-term growth.” He says the criticisms of it are “misguided,” advocating “half-steps and piecemeal measures,” and operating on the notion that tax cuts can solve any problem.

“I reject these theories,” Obama writes, “and so did the American people when they went to the polls in November.” We’ve tried that way for too long. The president believes it's time not just to jumpstart the economy, but to fight our dependence on foreign oil, reform health care, and invest in America’s infrastructure. “We can act boldly to turn crisis into opportunity,” he writes, “and together, write the next great chapter in our history.” (More Barack Obama stories.)