Conservative

By Nick Jacob

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In analyzing President Obama’s first 100-plus days in office, it’s important to start by looking at what he’s done with the economy. This past Saturday, he went on C-SPAN to boldly proclaim: “We are out of money.” It was a statement so blatantly obvious that it could have warranted one of Bill Engvall’s famous “here’s your sign” jokes.

This year alone, the budget deficit will balloon to $1.8 trillion — four times higher than it was last year under former President Bush — and 50 percent higher than was projected back in January. This means that the United States will borrow 46 cents for every dollar it spends this year. As if that weren’t bad enough, the Congressional Budget Office projects that the United States will face a $9.3 trillion cumulative deficit from 2010-2019. In the same time frame, it projects our national debt will double.

Now, Obama can keep blaming the current recession on former President Bush, but the fact is that he has made it much, much worse. And with his plans to nationalize health care and institute a cap-and-trade program, the deficit will only continue to grow.

On foreign policy, Obama has been a mixed bag. In terms of the War on Terror, which Obama has re-branded the “Overseas Contingency Operation,” the president has shown mostly competent leadership. He is still taking on the enemy and has continued many of the same Bush administration policies. For example, while banning the CIA’s Enhanced Interrogation Program, Obama has not banned the practice of rendition, in which enemy combatants are flown to certain countries for questioning. Obama has also continued Predator drone attacks on al-Qaida in Pakistan, which have been hailed as “very effective” by CIA Director Leon Panetta.

As of late, Obama has stunningly reversed some of his own positions, which has put him in an awkward place with his far-left supporters. For example, the day after his inauguration, Obama ordered all military tribunals halted for detainees at Guantanamo Bay. However, acknowledging that there was no better alternative, administration officials announced earlier this month that Obama would revive the tribunals. In addition, it is now looking less and less likely that Guantanamo Bay itself will be shut down by next January, as Obama had promised. Robert Gibbs, the president’s press secretary, said on Wednesday that closing Gitmo was a “hasty decision.” It might have saved Obama some embarrassment if he had thought about where the detainees would be sent before he shut down the prison — but I digress.

Another Obama reversal came when he decided not to release more photos of abuse at Abu Ghraib from 2004. He correctly reasoned that their release would serve to inflame anti-American sentiments abroad and would endanger our troops. Polls showed that a vast majority of Americans, myself included, agreed with him. The ACLU, the most liberal organization in the country, did not.

Of all the decisions Obama has made during his first 100-plus days as president, perhaps none has disappointed me more than his policy toward Africa. When he released his $3.6 trillion budget earlier this month, it left a $3.3 billion shortfall in U.S. support for bilateral AIDS programs. According to the Global AIDS Alliance, the shortfall will mean that millions of people in Africa will not receive treatment for HIV/AIDS, which will inevitably lead to their deaths.

Say what you will about George W. Bush, but that man was a greater friend to Africa than any other president in U.S. history. While Mr. Bush was unpopular here at home, and in much of Europe, his approval rating was in the 80 percent range in Africa because of his funding for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis relief. In January, BBC News reported that in Darfur, many people name their newborn children George Bush.

It is shocking to me that out of a $3.6 trillion budget, Barack Obama cannot find $3.3 billion to fulfill our relief obligations in Africa. What’s not shocking is that this has gone unreported in the mainstream media, as it continues to provide cover for the president. The stomach-turning irony here is that while Obama is attempting to restore the United States’ image in Europe, he is simultaneously tarnishing it for the very people who have fallen in love with the United States during the past eight years.

This is tragic and quite frankly inexcusable. There are many things, as a conservative Christian, that I can agree to disagree with the president about. This, however, is not one of them. For a man who has already followed George W. Bush’s lead on so many foreign policy issues, Barack Obama should again do the same for Africa.

Reach reporter Nick Jacob at opinion@dailyuw.com.

Liberal

By Chris Jordan

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Before we consider how our new president has performed in his first several months on the job, let’s remember what he got himself into when he decided to run for office.

The health-care system was — and still is — in shambles. The nation still lacks an energy plan that protects the environment and creates jobs. Americans have been incredibly dissatisfied with the direction of the country. We still face a security threat from global terrorism, and Iran and North Korea aren’t going to give up their nuclear ambitions any time soon. Pakistan remains an unstable nuclear power threatened by a Taliban takeover. We are burdened by immense debt. A financial crisis has dragged the entire world economy into recession. Middle-class wages have been stagnant for years. Our image has been tarnished in the eyes of the world. Old alliances are severely strained. Genocide has been taking place in Darfur. And if that’s not enough, we also have hundreds of thousands of troops overseas in two separate wars.

The first task Obama has succeeded at thus far is restoring some of the confidence and optimism of the American people.

This past October, prior to Obama’s election, the percentage of Americans who expressed to CBS News that the country was heading in the right direction was an astoundingly low 7 percent. Today, despite the continued economic woes, the percentage of people satisfied with the direction of the country has increased to 45 percent.

Obviously, there is work to be done, but more and more people are having confidence in their futures restored, with the president’s approval rating currently floating between 62 and 67 percent in the past several weeks of the Gallup poll.

In addition to restoring confidence, Obama has taken the first steps toward restoring alliances in Europe. His overseas tour was hailed widely as a success. He secured several thousand additional troops and financial commitments from NATO allies for Afghanistan and forged some cooperation on the economic crisis at the G20.

His plan to decrease the amount of troops in Iraq has stayed true to his campaign promises while allowing for practical, strategic considerations as well.

The United States’ image in the world is starting to be repaired, as well. On his second day in office, the president ordered the closing of the Guantanamo Bay prison, secret CIA “black sites” and an end to the use of torturous techniques such as waterboarding. Moves like this actually make the United States safer by undercutting anti-Americanism overseas and helping to take away recruiting tools for radical extremist groups. The torture issue is about the fundamentals of our country, and Obama has reclaimed the moral high ground for the United States.

Another thing the president should be praised for is getting the economic stimulus package passed through Congress. While Republicans refused to compromise and offered little more than their typical “Cut taxes!” dogma, Obama recognized the need to take urgent action. The package is not perfect, but it’s full of middle-class tax cuts and critical investments in energy, infrastructure, education, technology, etc. that will pay off in the short and long term for our economic recovery.

While the president should be commended for his successes thus far, I think reasonable people have grounds on which to be concerned.

I was concerned about the national debt under Bush, and I’m concerned about it now. We must recognize, however, that the president has been forced to spend huge amounts of money in extraordinary economic circumstances in order to avoid a far worse situation. Many economists believed that the cost of inaction in the face of the recession would have far outweighed cost of the action taken. We also have to think more long term: Reforming health care will come with a hefty price tag, but if done right, it could save an incredible amount of money for future generations.

Overall, President Obama seems to be off to a good start. He has shown himself to be a thoughtful leader who is capable of getting things done. The challenges he will face in the coming years are immense, and I hope he succeeds. The future is at stake.

Reach reporter Chris Jordan at opinion@dailyuw.com.

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