Obama: The First Year

Obama: The First Year

Why don't we rate the President based on what he said he would do, and what he said got him elected.

1) I'll end the war in Iraq in 16 months and bring the troops home.

Peak troop strength in Iraq and Afghanistan:
Iraq Afghanistan total time period
Bush: 160,000 26,000 186,000 2007 to early 2008
Obama: 124,000 65,000 189,000 October 2009

U.S deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan:
2008 (Last year of Bush): 466
2009 (first year of Obama): 450 (plus 30 in January 2010)
Source : DoD
…doesn't look like much of an antiwar president, does he?

2) I'll reach across the aisle and put an end to partisan politics…and usher in the post partisan era.

Partisanship is the worst it has ever been, and the whine that "they wouldn't let me be non partisan" only evokes the question "who is the leader who said he could get both parties to work together?". It should be embarrassing that the President, with a super majority, couldn't get one major piece of legislation enacted. He didn't need any Republican votes…so how can the Republicans be what stopped him…and why couldn't his great non partisan approach get at least a few Republican votes? No major legislation has been passed without some votes from the other party, yet Obama is the only president unable to influence even one vote. Some "post partisan" era.

3) I'll close Gitmo within the first year of my presidency.

Don't look now, but we're entering month thirteen, and the president hasn't released any more prisoners than President Bush did (and it's still open).

4) Transparency…no more back room meetings….the American people deserve to know what deals are being cut, and who's cutting them. I'll have CSPAN in meetings/negotiations.

The president didn't allow CSPAN to the myriad deal cutting negotiations with special interest groups, but he did drag the cameras to his meeting with Republicans. Pretty sorry performance here.

5) No more Earmarks

Except for the record number in his first year…pretty funny, if it weren't so serious.

6) No lobbyists will be welcome in my administration.

They may not be welcome, but they're there…17 at last count (with Goldman Sachs well represented as well). And read this…"The White House is encouraging you to participate in these calls and will have a question and answer session at the end of each call. As a reminder, these calls are not intended for press purposes." Fred Baldassano, Obama Treasury Dep't Senior Advisor writing to a list of K Street Lobbyists. Does anybody else smell dead fish?

7)I'll get the deficits under control, and cut them in half by 2012

In one year, our new president has increased the deficit almost as much as all the president before him combined (I know, I know, he inherited a mess and there is nothing he can do about it).

A change president? An anti war president? A post partisan president? As they say, I'm just reporting the facts…you decide. (Sure, there are plenty of excuses to be made for failure, I'm just reporting on performance).

The Old Man
P.S. You won't see this on O'Reilly…it would be too impolite.