First, there has simply NEVER been a president-elect who has been as involved or active as Obama EVER. And we've had some strong ones. Not Andrew Jackson who was succeeding a man, John Quincy Adams, who not only detested but felt (correctly) literally STOLE the job from him. Not Abraham Lincoln who KNEW the incumbent president, Buchanan, was selling out the Union. And not FDR, one of our strongest and most autocratic presidents, who knew the incumbent president, Hoover, was literally dragging the country into a worsening depression every day.

To argue that Obama (or ANYONE) should or even COULD do more shows a fundamental misunderstanding of the American presidency and political system.

It's also why many of you have had to reference England. We're not England. We're a democracy. Actually a representative republican democracy. And you simply CANNOT politically, morally or even PRACTICALLY do more than Obama is. That's the way we set up the system. And we set it up for a reason.

So back off. No we're not going to undo it. You Brits are just going to have to live with that one. America has shown, historically, a remarkable ability to get back on its feet. I know you're laughing at us right now and don't think that's possible, but, heck, let's be honest. How many things have we done that you don't THINK are possible?

Obama, as a Constitutional scholar and former law professor (thank God!) knows this. Trust me, he's playing his cards, on this one, PRECISELY right. And people will realize it soon enough. Despite our many difficulties, over the past 8 years, I'm one of those who still thinks we have the BEST political system out there. It might not be perfect, but it's head and shoulders above the rest. It will work.

Now as for "shadow governments" that has a VERY different connotation in the United States of America than it does in Europe. And particularly England. PERIOD. Any notion of a shadow government, in America, is absurd, counterproductive and more than bargaining on Constitutionally questionable.

Jeb's comments were stupid, he's a petulant little brat (although not as big of one as W.), George Bush (the father) in his prime would have been the first to chew Jeb's ass out for this dumb comment, and it is close to enough, from a governmental standpoint, to just about effectively disqualify Jeb as an acceptable candidate for Senate.

Joan is completely right. And if you're going to disagree with her, please have at least a CURSORY understanding of American history, our political system and the workings of the COnstitution.

Otherwise you are just being ignorant. British or not. Heck a lot of us thought you should have thrown out Tony Blair LONG before you did. And you had a system that would have allowed that. But we didn't climb down your throat. So here's an idea: either try, for once, to actually UNDERSTAND how our country works or spare us any uninformed opinions.

Have a good day!

Count me as one who doesn't get it. Really doesn't get it. Granted $7.5 million is a lot of money, even if you have it, but hey those are bills. That's sort of the way they work. You run 'em up you gotta pay 'em.

Didn't Mitt Romney write off even more than this? Why not just pay it?

Especially now that she's going to be Secretary of State. If she has future political ambitions, get this payed off now. Bill makes what, $100,000 per lecture? And you're worth $100 million. It's kind of odd to get THIS desperate to just not pay the money back yourself. If you can recoup it great. But it's sort of reached the point, where it's clear you can't.