All this talk of the debt ceiling is starting to get serious! Mitt Romney's announcement of his candidacy was on the exact day that Moody's threatened to lower the US's credit rating if the debt ceiling is not raised. Romney says that Obama is responsible for rising unemployment levels, higher gas prices, and the higher national debt. Woops! Let's remember that these are all problems that started in Bush II's presidency. Realistically though, unless a specific policy can be identified as the sole culprit for a crisis, how can any blame be assigned? Let's look at Bush II as an example.
During Bush II's reign two wars were started, our debt skyrocketted, and he captained the ship when the economy tanked. Now I am not blaming Bush II for all of these things. He can't be held accountable for the entire state of the economy, that's like getting mad at your Captain when a bad storm hits and the waves are bad... he didn't make the storm! The housing bubble and lack of regulation on Wall Street that allowed for the 2008 financial crisis were ongoing problems that spanned multiple presidencies.
Starting yet another doublet of unending American Imperial wars on the other hand, is Bush's fault and a huge burden on our nation's budget. That's part of the reason why Obama inherited debt of such mind-blowing proportions. That and a massive tax break (also Bush's fault, and still contributing to our debt). In fact, it's the Republican party with their support for both policies that has resulted in the largest debt increase in US history. Even on this issue of debt though, it's important to remember that there has been an ongoing debt crisis in this country that was not being properly considered until the financial crisis forced us to consider debt very seriously.
Now we turn to Obama, who is being blamed by Republicans for skyrocketing debt, a calamity-to-be that really only became a huge issue after Republicans messed everything up during their last presidency. I am proud of our current president for his political savvy and gamesmanship. When he had a Democratic congress to support progressive policies, he made sure to pass the legislation that represented the goals of plurality and social welfare. Now that the conservatives are back in town, Obama's become more moderate by catering to Republican policy, even when it meant short-term increases to national debt. Obama has also made every effort to halt partisan bickering by bringing the major rabble-rousers to the negotiating table. He's showing a willingness to compromise for the good of the country.
Even in our foreign policy, I am proud to have Obama as our #1. Outside a select circle of elite pissants, I don't think there is a soul on this earth who can say with certainty what we are doing in either Iraq or Afghanistan. In the face of so much uncertainty, Obama's approach to these wars has been transparent and realistic. He's not about to desert all the hard work that our soldiers have already put into Iraq. But he's made it clear that the pull-out has to happen at some point, and that now is as good a time as any.
The region centering around Afghanistan and it's unending war is the only area where I feel that the Obama administration might be dragging their feet. America's position there seems to be deteriorating, with our only "ally" in the region being a hot-bed of conflict and political turmoil. I think American foreign policy of the past few years is partly to blame for Pakistan's current woes. We've bribed the country into lending us military support, but we haven't been demanding any accountability on their part, which has led to a terrorized civilian population. Recent Pakistani outrage at our covert assassination of Osama Bin-Laden is understandable, because it's indicative of how little we trust and respect Pakistan. Maybe Obama could have notified Pakistan's intelligence service of the strike before it was happening (in the hours immediately before the raid so that, if there was a spy for Osama, there wouldn't be much time to get the word out). More than that single decision though, US-Pakistan relations have become strained over the course of this long war. .
Of course, Obama's performance in political issues abroad hasn't even been criticized by Republican presidential candidates. The frontrunners are full of specious statements lamenting our economic woes under Obama, without ever presenting their own concrete agenda (and ignoring all I've discussed above). The outliers are full of big ideas with more specifics than their opponents, but the policy they recommend would be devastating to our economy (does Ron Paul live in a vacuum? if so, it's definitely an Oreck.. one built in the 18th century where the kind of society he espouses might still be possible). Republicans talk a lot about getting down to brass tax, but I think it's pretty clear that Obama and his administration have actually been all about that.
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