It seems that Barack Obama is officially drinking the Kool-Aid that Paul Krugman has been offering. No, he did not make Krugman this country’s “economic czar,” but he might as well have done so with his announcement today that his government will spend billions of dollars for “infrastructure.”

CHICAGO – President-elect Barack Obama said Saturday he wants to revive the economy through a job-creating public works plan on a scale unseen since the building program of the interstate highway system in the 1950s.

He offered no price estimate for the grand plan, how the money might be divided or the effect on the country’s financial health at a time of burgeoning deficits.

The ideas were outlined in the weekly radio address the day after the government reported that employers cut 533,000 jobs in November, the most in 34 years. They are part of a vision for a massive economy recovery plan Obama wants Congress to pass and have waiting on his desk when he takes office Jan. 20.

The president-elect’s address never once used the word “spend,” relying instead on “invest” or “investments,” and pledging wise stewardship of taxpayer money in upgrading roads and schools, and making public buildings more energy-efficient.

One of the unfortunate legacies of Bill Clinton’s administration has been the use of the word “invest” instead of government spending. Clinton used to say things like, “We’re going to invest in education and the environment.” He was speaking nonsense, but the media ate up his every word.

I suspect that Obama realizes that this will not “revitalize” the economy, but it will provide “jobs” for union workers — at the expense of other workers, of course. Like the FDR administration, the Obama administration will make sure that jobs will depend heavily upon one’s political connections.