BY KENNY BELFORD

Over the weekend, after viewing a volume of news programs and interviews on all the major broadcast and cable networks, there are two observations that surfaced.

On program after program, journalists rolled out a dazzling array of “experts” to offer up their analysis on the economic mess, the automotive meltdown, mortgage foreclosures, and George W. Bush’s newfound ability to recognize reality with the admission we’re in a recession and have been for over a year.

Opinions flowed like the Mississippi River in the Ninth Ward of New Orleans during Katrina. Every broadcast had a cast of “experts,” and none came without a series of detailed points to offer.

If they knew then, what they claim to know now, why weren’t sirens wailing and alarm bells clanging?

Then there was the noticeable absence of virtually all the high-profile Republicans. They were quick to issue doom-and-gloom predictions during the campaign about his “lack of leadership experience,” but they are strangely silent now.

As President-elect Obama continues to prepare his new administration to fix these problems, and daily advances the selection of key members of his team, it appears Republicans are now stunned by his display of leadership during the transition, and have decided to just get out of the way so his new administration can undo the damage.

– The author lives in Tulsa, OK and is a regular contributor to The Oklahoma Observer