Matt Yglesias on the Hypocrisy of Greg Mankiw

Greg Mankiw is widely regarded as the dean of conservative economists. He was chairman of George Bush's Council of Economic Advisors and is a professor of economics at Harvard. He appears in a position to speak with authority on economics from the Republican side. He recently wrote an editorial advising President Obama on how to deal with the Republicans on budget issues. However, a closer look at his own performance as chairman of the CEA shows that his own policy advice to George Bush (and the actions of Republicans when they were in control of the budget) are sharply at variance with the advice he has for the President. It's sad to see an economist of Mankiw's former stature fall into this state--a shill for the continuance of the bankrupt policies that got us where we are now.