In one of the most arrogant displays of power, verging on threat, censorship and free speech, President Barrack Hussein Obama warned Republicans on Capitol Hill yesterday that they need to quit listening to radio king Rush Limbaugh if they want to get along with Democrats and the new administration.

Only four days into a new administration and the tone being set doesn’t sound like the values we hold so dearly in the United States, the right to listen to whom we wish, free speech and a country void of censorship.

Obama said, “You can’t just listen to Rush Limbaugh and get things done,” he told top GOP leaders, whom he had invited to the White House to discuss his nearly $1 trillion stimulus package.

One White House official confirmed the comment.

In an exchange with Rep. Eric Cantor (R-Va) about the proposal, the president shot back: “I won,” according to aides briefed on the meeting .  “I will trump you on that.”

They say he was just explaining that he aims to get his way on the stimulus package and other legislation, pointing out in a rather heavy handed way his one-party control of both congressional chambers.

In a report in the New York Times today Rahm Emanuel, the White House chief of staff, who was at the meeting reported that Obama said to Cantor, “We just have a difference here, and I’m president.”

The Times went on to say that Cantor had a similar recollection.  He said the president had told him “You’re correct, there’s a philosophical difference, but I won, so we’re going to prevail on that.”

“He was very straightforward,” Cantor said.  “There was no disrespect, but it was very matter-of-fact.”

What happened to the unity that Obama was going to bring to DC that he promised during the campaign?  Sounds like some divisive rhetoric to me.

It also appears that Obama is sending out a signal for the return of the ‘Fairness Doctrine’ forcing the licensed broadcasting industry to ensure reasonable opportunity for airing of opposing viewpoints on controversial issues.  A primary target by Dems and the Obama administration, especially in light of the statements made yesterday, would be Rush Limbaugh.

Now I don’t happen to listen to Rush Limbaugh, but I will defend his right to free speech and the right of Republicans or anyone else who wants to listen to him without a dictum being issued by the Oval office in the form of a threat.

Republicans made it clear to Obama that the $825 billion price tag is too big a burden for a nation crippled by debt and that the package doesn’t do enough to stimulate the economy by cutting taxes.

For example, House GOP leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) said, “You know, I’m concerned about the size of the package.  And I’m concerned about some of the spending that’s in there . . . how can you spend hundreds of millions on contraceptives?”  How does that stimulate the economy?”

Well it doesn’t John, it stimulates something else.  What he was referring to here was a plan to fund the purchase of contraceptives through Medicaid and, interestingly enough not just for the poor.

It doesn’t surprise me in the least that two Harvard Law school graduates, Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts, flubbed the oath of office twice, first with words and the second time without swearing on a bible.

And as for transparency, a theme second to change, the administration only allowed a pool of three reporters to witness the second oath of office, had a White House photographer take the official picture and excluded the broadcast media.

In his first week in office Obama issued rules of ethics but encouraged the approval by Congress of Treasury Secretary-designee Timothy Geithner despite his failure to pay $42,000 in taxes, employed a housekeeper whose work permit expired and deducted his son’s camp fees and expenses on his income tax.  Only 6 hours after he issued the ethics rule which included new interrogation guidelines, he named a former Raytheon lobbyist, William Lynn, deputy Secretary of Defense.  During his campaign for the presidency he often and loudly denounced the behavior of  DC lobbyists.  He also ordered the closing of Guantanamo within one year without any idea of where to put the detainees.  This action came after knowing that one of the detainees, who was released, became the number two operative in the Al Qaeda branch in Yemen this week.

Tone, change, economic crisis, stimulus, ethics, unity and nonpartisanship, words  easier to say than to properly execute.