It seems the president has a new trick up his sleeve to convince us his bloated “stimulus” packages are solving our economic woes: deception.

After comfortable wins in Virginia and New Jersey, Republican voters once again are energized and ready to work hard so that Republican candidates gain traction nationwide, setting the stage for the 2010 midterms. 2009 was just the beginning.

Conservatives must recognize that what is at stake in elections Tuesday goes beyond the usual results: The outcome will be viewed, rightfully, as a voter referendum on President Obama, the Democrat-led Congress, and their progressive agenda.

The Obama administration's lack of response on a request for more troops in Afghanistan and its inability to decide what to do with Guantanamo Bay show that decisive leadership is woefully absent in Washington these days.