[thecavemaster]

A "federalist" president does not seize control of publicly traded companies, slash executive salaries, or fire their CEOs. The seizure of corporations by the federal government has nothing to do with the notion of the division of power between our national, state, and local governments. Every US president has been a federalist. Obama is arguably this nation's first socialist president. Hopefully he will also be our last one but I am skeptical that will be the case. As for the red herrings that you have thrown out in an attempt to confuse federalism with socialism, those are topics for another time and another thread.

The promotion of the general welfare, it seems to me, is sometimes going to require that the federal government intercede in matters involving powerful corporate interests, especially when those interests are harming, have harmed, or are likely to harm the general welfare. You are drawing black and white lines, Hoot, which isn't surprising. Barack Obama is not a socialist. His actions regarding GM were protective in nature, with no intent to seize GM or other industry and keep them in the government owned column. In a time of crisis, he proposed action with the intent of promoting the general welfare. Obama apparently believes that the federal government should have a role in ensuring that large corporations in their fluctuations and decion making do not destabilize the lives of mutlitudes of Americans. That's NOT socialism. There's a fishy smell alright, but I think it's your abject "no grace" attitude toward Barack Obama.