Post #254 History, Pt. IV

I got some comments covering the past 50 years of Presidents from an e-pal that he picked up on a blog somewhere and wanted my opinion -- so: First, interesting -- a good starting point, but I thought the commentator played arm-chair psychiatrist too much -- I'm more interested in what each President did or did not do in office. This is Pt. IV. My additional responses and additions... in [brackets]....

* * *

OBAMA - There is no time either for me to compose further about Barack Obama, or at this point to take up a review of what is a freshly-begun Administration. But in general Obama is a breath of fresh air and a cause for optimism after the dismal record set by Presidents since 1980. In all cases, Obama is a complete improvement over the miserable failure and criminal incompetence of the Bush Regime II.

[Well, I'll try. Let's see what Obama has accomplished during his first two years -- with little or no help from the 'loyal opposition:'
1. The stimulus. There has been a TV commercial playing in this state about the "failed stimulus" -- with "failed" in dripping red letters. Oh, really? Well, I looked out my window for evidence that the stimulus has failed to prevent the Great Depression Pt. II. There are no tent cities, no soup kitchens, no food riots, no sieges of town hall, no abandoned children wandering the streets looking for handouts. Nobody has declared martial law -- the National Guard is not on patrol. And there have been no layoffs at the public school where I work. In fact, it did not take me long to find concrete evidence of the stimulus at work: The little community down the road has a new main intersection complete with a stoplight and sidewalks and landscaping. Things must be pretty bad where the makers of that commercial live, but, around here, the stimulus has not "failed."
2 Health care reform. Anything that breaks the chain of paying for health care that is around the neck of business is good. The Republican plan -- or no plan -- is to continue to choke American business.
3. Financial reform. Even Wall Street seems happy.
4. Saved GM. The Republican plan -- and mine, too, by the way -- was to let a huge potion of this country's manufacturing base go belly-up. Even Pat Buchanan knew the importance of our manufacturing base and the real and political risks of letting it go -- see his "As GM Goes, So Does The GOP" column. Now, GM has already paid off its government-backed loans, and the Obama-as-car-salesman-in-chief joke falls flat.
5. Kept us safe. Obama has beaten George W. Bush's nine months, and the terror threat level has not risen after every bit of bad news. And Obama has not had a weenie roast at the White House for his terrorists pals to turn over the keys to this country -- oh, yeah, that will be after 2012, right?.
6 Ended the Iraq war. Well, in name only, but the symbolism is important. And Obama has not bombed Iran -- ya know, I thought that Iran was supposed to have 'the bomb' by now.
7. Looking to end the Afghanistan war. Obama has 'surged' -- progress or come come. Take the 'scalpel' approach -- which is Constitutional -- instead of the hammer' -- which is unConstitutional.
At the end of the day, Obama, as a black man in power, has treated the white man better than the white man in power treated the black man. There is no 'whites only' entrance thro the basement kitchen of the White House -- even Glen Beck can walk thro the front door! :p]