I'm all for extending the olive branch, as President Obama (!!) has done this past week with House and Senate Republicans.  Good for him, taking input from all sides, following through on his campaign promises to be inclusive.  He's probably done more across-the-aisle bridge building in the last two weeks than W did in two terms.

But if you build a bridge, and the guys on the other side - who insisted they wanted a bridge - burn it down, you might do things differently next time.  The President and his congressional allies made a variety of concessions to Republicans and got, it appears, nothing in return.  This is not shocking, but it should influence the next round of the legislative process, which is traditionally adversarial.  When you have a majority in both houses, and the presidency, and broad popular support, you don't have to start with concessions.

I trust these guys, the new administration, to have a deep understanding and a long-term legislative plan.  Perhaps it's the partisan, out-of-power mindset I share with many Democrats that wants President Obama to flex his legislative muscles, since that's what GOP strategists and officials seem to understand best.

Maybe this week we'll see some policy speeches, perhaps away from DC, selling the Liberal elements of the stimulus plan, explaining the inclusive and bi-partisan elements, and setting the stage for the next round of legislation.