So the economy is still flailing, Russia is rearming, Iran is pursuing nuclear weapons at an alarming rate, and the Washington Post says the AIG bonuses are depleting Obama’s political capital. What is a young president to do? Why, create a new position to oversee American culture, of course. Because that’s what America needs right now.

President Barack Obama has established a staff position in the White House to oversee arts and culture in the Office of Public Liaison and Intergovernmental Affairs under Valerie Jarrett, a senior adviser, a White House official confirmed. Kareem Dale, right, a lawyer who last month was named special assistant to the president for disability policy, will hold the new position. Mr. Dale, who is partly blind, previously served as national disability director for the Obama campaign. He also served on the arts policy committee and the disability policy committee for Mr. Obama when he was a senator from Illinois.

Bill Ivey, who served as the administration’s transition-team leader for the arts and humanities, said he was encouraged by the appointment and would meet with Mr. Dale next week. “It’s a big step forward in terms of connecting cultural and government with mainstream administration policy,” Mr. Ivey said in an interview on Friday. The White House declined to describe the position in detail, since Mr. Dale’s appointment has yet to be formally announced.

Basically Obama’s now creating positions for his allies in order to pay them back for their work on his campaign. He’ll soon be appointing a Deputy Undersecretary for Staring at the Ceiling. Obama still hasn’t managed to fill 17 of the 18 confirmation-required positions at the Treasury Department, but he’s got time for this crap. Priorities.