The Debut of the Business As Usual Index

OK, change fans, let's review the state of "change" in Washington. Or no change, per these key variables, cited in earlier posts:

Ethics Waivers for Lobbyist Insiders? (William Lynn and William Corr.) Check!

Turning a Blind Eye To Ethics Violations? (Timothy Geithner.) Check!

Same ol' same ol' in dealings with Congress? (Letting the Liberal Establishment call the shots.) Check!

Same ol' same ol' from Congress? (Earmarks under a new name.) Check!

That would seem to mean, on a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 being "no change," and 10 being "total change," that the Obama administration is keeping low to the ground, change-wise.

But wait! Larry Summers, Chairman of the National Economics Council, pledges to Bloomberg's Rebecca Christie that the Trouble Asset Relief Program, or TARP, is going to get better: “It’s going to emphasize transparency, it’s going to emphasize accountability.”

Summers is a serious man, and he deserves a chance to show what he means to do different.

So the Business As Usual Index metrics team must ponder that for awhile.