Advanced SearchWhen President Barack Obama took office, he promised to launch a new era of fiscal responsibility, bi-partisanship, and transparency at home, and to improve America’s standing abroad.
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But a year later, the president has not delivered on his promises, and the American people have noticed. The president’s approval ratings have dropped. In the recent Massachusetts Senate race, voters rallied around the candidate who campaigned against the record spending and debt that has occurred under this administration.
Indeed, government spending grew by $705 billion in fiscal year 2009 – a whopping 24 percent increase from 2008. The 2009 deficit – the gap between revenues and spending – is the highest in history, at $1.4 trillion. The total debt has reached a staggering sum of roughly $12 trillion.
President Obama said earlier this year that “We can’t keep on just borrowing from China.”
That’s true. So, why does the president continue to advocate spending money that we don’t have and will have to borrow? His 10-year budget doubles the deficit in five years and triples it in 10. More borrowing and new deficit spending does not measure up to the president’s campaign pledge for fiscal responsibility.
The president has also failed to keep promises on foreign policy.
What has been the strategy for boosting America’s standing abroad? He has gone on an apology tour, the fundamental consequence of which, in the words of columnist Charles Krauthammer, has been “to effectively undermine any claim America might have to world leadership.”
And while the president has devoted much energy to improving relations with our adversaries, his administration has mistreated several key U.S. partners.
On national security, the president’s decision to give civilian trials to several terrorists is wrong. These men are enemy combatants and the war against al Qaeda is just that. It’s not a law-enforcement matter, and should not be treated as one.
There’s an important connection between U.S. policies at home and U.S. strategy abroad. While domestic policy is not written to influence foreign policy, it affects what we can spend on defense and security.
President Obama recently acknowledged the relationship between U.S. economic strength and U.S. global leadership, when he said, “Our prosperity provides a foundation for our power. It pays for our military. It underwrites our diplomacy.”
Military decline is not an option for the United States. As former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright put it, we are “the indispensable nation.”
That’s what American exceptionalism means. It means that, because of our unique history, our unique power, and the unique appeal of our founding principles, America plays a special role in global affairs.
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Comments
ramrod wrote on Feb 17, 2010 4:49 PM:
missmel wrote on Feb 15, 2010 9:11 AM:
And Ramrod: I would not be mentioning the ignorance of others when you post a video questioning the President’s birthplace despite mountains of proof of American citizenship. You either know what socialism and fascism are or you don’t. When someone points out that you don’t, it is not proof of ignorant liberals attacking you poor center-right patriots, it is just liberals getting fed up with the lack of basic knowledge on that side about things that everyone should know. The N-a-z-i-s were NOT left wing, and were NOT progressive. Come on now. "
ramrod wrote on Feb 11, 2010 1:52 PM:
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 10, 2010 8:48 AM:
The NaziParty was the National Socialist German Workers Party (Nationalsozialistische Deusche Arbeiterpartei). Their ideology was a mixture of parts of nationalism and socialism, while disavowing democracy, communism and socialism (as practiced by the Soviets). If you look at the 25 points of the NaziParty, they tend to be very "progressive", which is a nice way of saying leftist.
As for fascism, it depends on which fascism you look at. If you take Italian Fascism as espoused in the Manifesto of the Fascist Struggle, you see that their ideals combained both democratic and progressive ideals (things like franchise reform, labor reform, taxes on wealth, nationalization of certian manufacturing, etc).
So in my read, I see both of them (Nazism and Italian Fascism) to be towards the left side of the political specturm. Where as true Fascism is essentially a dictitorial regiem. "
Half A Brain wrote on Feb 10, 2010 8:19 AM:
G Wiligers, meet me behind the gym at 4:00. "
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 9, 2010 12:16 PM:
You can call me what you want, but I draw the line at liar. I consider myself to be moderate as I am socially liberal and fiscally conservative. I believe the government needs to do only what it is enpowered by its consitution to do, which makes me more of a libertarian at heart. In terms of political nomenclature, I would be what was once called a Reagan Democrat.
As for your views of Fox, well you differ apparently from the majority of people in the country. But as I am willing to guess you do not watch Fox, and as your opinion seems to be a dead parroting of the views found on the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post, I can see your mind is set in concrete. "
Missmel wrote on Feb 9, 2010 10:41 AM:
Are you one of these people who march around with misspelled signs in these Tea Party protests who have no idea what socialism is and equate it with fascism?
Here is a refresher: in a nutshell, socialism is strenghth of the working people, consolidated in the state.
Fascism is the strenghth of the state consolidated in an ideology.
You may not spot the difference, but many of us do. And this is the probles with the right-wing in this country. They are not interested in facts, only spouting talking points and yelling HITLER! whenever they get a chance.
Hitler was not a left-wing progressive. He was a murderous fascist who ignored any thinking that was not like his own, and who was intolerant of anyone who was different than his perverted idea of perfection.
Read some history Mr. Wilgers, for God's sake. "
half a brain wrote on Feb 9, 2010 8:45 AM:
Since CNN was sold by Ted Turner to Time Warner (Time Magazine) it has definately moved to the right although they are still reasonable and care about responsible reporting. They are not as radical as FOX (Views) where the truth is not a priority. "
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 8, 2010 9:00 AM:
That is the problem with politics and political power in this country. Self-preservation of one's position trumps doing what is right for the country. The Republicans are guilty of overspending when they were in office, no doubt about it. But, it is possible (at least theoretically) for someone to see the light and change (at least I hope and pray it is). "
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 8, 2010 8:50 AM:
CNN is Conservative?!? Guess again.
I happen to consider myself moderate and read a variety of news sources both US and worldwide. Again, you are claiming lies, but strangely are unable to even provide an example. You, sir, are crying wolf.
PS, Hitler was a left-wing Progressive. "
Vecino wrote on Feb 6, 2010 12:01 PM:
When Bush arrived in 2001, the national debt was $5 billion. When the profligate spender left, it was more than double that.
Paradise Valley's pet Senator would do well to remember the old African proverb: point a finger only to see the three fingers pointing back at you. "
ramrod wrote on Feb 5, 2010 10:37 AM:
Vecino wrote on Feb 5, 2010 6:13 AM:
Here's a fact to gnaw on. The public debt was around $5 billion when GWB entered office; $12 billion when he left. There was no deficit in Clinton's last budget; in fact, there was a $2.4 billion surplus.
What did Kyl do then, when the Republicans held control in both houses for all but 2 of those 8 years? Waved the magic wand of the Republican's new mantra: borrow and spend, borrow and spend.
And I always thought the GOP was the party of fiscal responsibility. "
weedly wrote on Feb 4, 2010 9:08 PM:
There is a difference in disagreeing with something, and allowing a lie. Doing what the conservatives are now doing in Washington, is exactly how Hitler took of Germany. nuff said. "
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 4, 2010 8:18 AM:
You may consider something said by another to be untrue, but if you are going to publically speak out on it, you should have some facts to back it up. Else you become the equivalent of the yappy little dog everyone learns to ignore, or worse yet, the boy who cried wolf. So please, continue on the path of screaming about lies but providing no proof, and we will learn to just ignore you.
Whether you agree with his politics and views or not, it is highly refreshing to see a politician do so much to ensure the public understands his point of view. They may judge it for themsleves at the ballot box. "
Rio Rico Knight wrote on Feb 4, 2010 5:33 AM:
Yes, the three branches of government are supposed to balance each other, but when you have the Supreme Court change a law to open the floodgates for more lobbying and donations to legislators such as "Senator NO", plus you have a bunch of old-line republicans whose sole agenda is to do all they can to have President Obama fail and block him on every turn, it really hurts their credibility.
I do fault the president, but more because he tried too hard to do things in a centrist way, reaching out to the Republicans and get some bi-partisanship going. It will not work.
Time to get back to the drawing board and do what the president was elected for : Change.
Change the system, change the perception, change the direction.
The country wants changes, they will follow. Talk jobs, not abortion. Talk economy, not gays in the military. Talk healthcare not more defense spending. Invest in education and our young people, not on more pork, bonuses and no-bid government contracts. "
George Wilgers wrote on Feb 3, 2010 5:59 PM:
I am hard pressed to find any campaign promiss I heard the President make while campaigning that he ACTUALLY kept. He said the negotiations between the house and senate on health care would be on CSPAN for all to see so we would know who was pushing for what and for who. It did not happen.
He said he would use a scaple to remove pork (earmarks) from the bills he was signing. Not Yet.
He said he would post every bill he was to sign for FIVE DAYS on the White House Website for the public to review and comment on BEFORE he signed them. Still working on it.
Senator Kyl is right that President Obama said we cannot keep borrowing form China. Infact, the reports from the government accounting office is that China has gone from buying 50% of our debt two years ago to 4% this past year. THEY DO NOT WANT OUR DEBT ANYMORE.
So Weedy what are the lies. Point them out and back it up. Facts, not opinions. "
ramrod wrote on Feb 3, 2010 1:48 PM:
weedly wrote on Feb 2, 2010 10:56 PM:
How can a publication retain it's integrity
when it continually allows politicians to continually publish letters which spout mis/dis information. Downright LIES!
If you watched the President responding the the Republicans last week, you will not how much the Republicans actually lie about. It's incredible!
How in heavens name, can a democracy
survive, when the media is allowing lies.
People have been lied to so much over the last years, that they don't have a clue of what is the truth! You allow Senator Kyl one half a page in which to tell he trash. If we cannot count on the media to stop the untruths to be published, how can the problem ever be fixed? "