Economic columnist for the Washington Post, Robert Samuelson has not been known through the years as a friend of free market economists from the "Chicago School" of Milton Freidman. But in this powerful column today , Samuelson lets Obama have it right between the eyes:Big projects take time. They're included in the stimulus because Obama and Democratic congressional leaders are using the legislation to advance many political priorities instead of just spurring the economy. At his news conference, Obama argued (inaccurately) that the two goals don't conflict. Consider, he said, the retrofitting of federal buildings to make them more energy efficient. "We're creating jobs immediately," he said.Yes -- but not many. The stimulus package includes $5.5 billion for overhauling federal buildings. The CBO estimates that only 23 percent of that would be spent in 2009 and 2010.Worse, the economic impact of the stimulus is already smaller than advertised. The...(Read Full Post)