Sen. Barack Obama worries quite a few people for insane reasons .... he's a Muslim, he's a Marxist (perhaps one of those Marxist Muslims who have state-owned prayer mats), he doesn't say the Pledge of Allegiance. Believe any one of these things and it should be the law that your relatives can immediately commit you to an institution still specializing in electric shock therapy.

But there are some sane reasons that people should worry -- chief among them, he may be a caricature liberal when it comes to the economy. If he is, his dreams are likely to dig us further into the great pit of debt that currently has George W. Bush's name firmly affixed to it.

If Mr. Obama's instinct is merely to tax and spend like there's no tomorrow, he will last only four years if he becomes president and Democrats will find themselves in the wilderness again for much longer.

Of course, when you promise the world, you have to deliver a chunk of it, no matter what the cost. If he becomes president, he should limit himself to just one big ticket issue and focus on it -- fixing the health care system would be my choice. As for taxes, tax the big boys by all means, but don't go hog wild -- recognize that high taxes are ultimately destructive of the economy.

My maxim is moderation in all things -- which I know can be taken to excess. But when Mr. Obama comes to CMU tomorrow to discuss his views on economic competitiveness, I would like him to hew to the middle of the road. Let history confirm George Bush as the last of the big spenders.

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