We’re being told over and over again how dire the economic situation is. (The recession could slide into a depression any day now!) It’s why we apparently need an $825 billion porkbarrel spending spree, why we need to bailout the auto industry and the banking industry and any other industry who comes to Washington wanting a handout.

And what does our Dear Leader do?

He throws expensive, lavish parties!

First, there was the most expensive inauguaration in history.

Then, on top of the spending spree about to be forced down our throats, Obama threw a little party to celebrate the bill passing the House.

Oh, I’m sorry. Did I say little? That’s not what I meant. Unless, of course, your definition of little includes alcoholic beverages like vodka martinis, chicken curry, and wagyu steak. Wagyu steak, by the way, is a porterhouse steak delicacy:

The ne plus ultra of beef is commonly known as Kobe, but Kobe is merely the prefecture in Japan where insanely expensive meat, sometimes $500 a pound for the real thing, happens to be produced. These are the well-known cows whose diet is reputedly augmented with sake and beer, and regular massages to soften their meat and enhance the marbling of their fat.

Kobe beef comes from Wagyu cattle, much as French Champagne comes from pinot noir and chardonnay grapes. If you happen to eat Kobe-style beef in the United States, it’s probably from Wagyu cattle raised over here, though the folks in Kobe haven’t waged a geographic labeling war like the winemakers of Champagne did.

… Wagyu beef is exquisitely tender, with soft fat that can all but melt at human body temperature, meaning it must be handled with care — should you be lucky enough to get your hands on some.

With such delicate intramuscular fat, steaks must be briefly seared to leave the interior just barely cooked, more like a fine hunk of tuna than beef. The texture is meant to be closer to pate — or, indeed, foie gras. Any more than a few moments over heat and Wagyu steaks are wasted.

That little extravagance costs $100 per serving.

It’s nice to know that, in the midst of an economic crisis, our new President is living it up like Marie Antoinette, all the while telling us that we need to tighten our belts and be prepared to sacrifice.

I guess the Obamamessiah is exempt from making those kinds of sacrifices in times of economic hardship. His is a historic Presidency, after all. Right?

UPDATE: Not only does the Obamamessiah indulge on food and parties, but also on energy usage! While admonishing us mere Americans to keep the AC and heater off, he cranks up the thermostat in the White House to near greenhouse temperatures. Remember this quote?

“We can’t drive our SUVs and eat as much as we want and keep our homes on 72 degrees at all times … and then just expect that other countries are going to say OK,” Obama said.

“That’s not leadership. That’s not going to happen,” he added.

Not going to happen in the homes of us mere mortals. But for the Obamamessiah, it’s splurge, splurge, splurge! And let’s not forget how DC residents are supposed to be toughening up in frigid temperatures.

Sacrificing is for everyone else to do, though! Not for the Dear Leader!

Hat Tip: Michelle Malkin