"Bill Maher Discusses Obama, Letterman And Palin On CNN" (video)

Nicholas Graham (HuffPo) with video (06:57):

Bill Maher, who aired his displeasure with the pace at which President Obama is accomplishing his policy objectives on his HBO show Friday night, made an appearance on CNN's "Situation Room" with Wolf Blitzer tonight to reiterate his concerns.

Maher argues that Obama needs to be more like former President George W. Bush when it comes to taking decisive action. The former president, with a much smaller majority than Obama has, was able to push through several very contentious policies - a massive tax cut for the wealthy, for example - and Maher is looking for a little more of that 'audacity' from Obama.

Maher also lamented the lack of a real progressive party in America:

We have the Democrats, who are what the Republicans used to be when I was a kid. They are a pro-business party; a corporate friendly, pro-business party. And then we have the Republicans, which are just just a club for angry white people and Jesus freaks. I don't know what they are.

Maher also combated the idea that Obama is taking the nation in a "socialist" direction, calling the charge "so ridiculous because Barack Obama is not a socialist, he's not even a liberal. That's the point I'm trying to make. This country needs a left-wing. It doesn't have it."

The "Real Time" host attributed part of the blame for the lack of a true left-wing in America to the media because they elevate personalities such as Newt Gingrich without doing the same for a corresponding voice on the other side of the political spectrum.

Although Maher believes Obama's not doing enough on domestic policy, he said the president is doing a "terrific" job on foreign policy.

Maher weighed in on the David Letterman-Sarah Palin controversy, stating that Letterman is a "fundamentally decent Midwesterner" and that his remarks were twisted into a "lie that [got] into the media and then [became] the truth." Maher said it was a "shame" that Letterman had to apologize.

Howie P.S.: When Maher says Obama could enact health care reform as easily as Bush invaded Iraq, I think he is equating two political initiatives that are not comparable.

Barack Obama