The economy and healthcare keeps weighing down the Obama presidency, as his approval rating slips this morning to a new record low of 47%.
52% of American voters now disapprove of Obama, with 37% now strongly disapproving.
The 47/52 split is the worst in Obama's young Presidency.
Below is a chart from Pollster.com of the statistical average of all approval polls out there. As you can see, Rasmussen is generally less favorable to Obama because they poll voters rather than all adults like other polling firms. However, you can easily see from the averages which direction this presidency is heading.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
How Many Ways Do Americans Have to Say We Hate ObamaCare?
So the Democrats are holding "town halls" across the country during the Congressional recess in order to try and gin up support for Obama's healthcare proposal. At these town hall events, angry and frustrated Americans who have finally had their eyes opened to what "hope" and "change" are really all about are demanding answers from their congressmen and women. And the Democrats don't like actually having to answer to their constituents.
Democratic leaders and strategists such as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are calling Americans who oppose Obamacare "brownshirts", comparing them to Nazis, saying they like to display swastikas, calling them an "angry mob" and saying that they are "un-American."
Wow.
When did the level of discourse in this country fall to that level? People who disagree with your ridiculously bad healthcare bill are all of a sudden Nazis? Unamerican?
Good thing George Bush was President the last 8 years or we never would have learned that dissent is patriotic.
The hilarious thing is that Democrats have accused Republicans of organizing these protests at the town hall meetings, even though no evidence exists of them doing so. Conservative talk radio and think tank groups are encouraging people to attend the town halls, but encouraging people to be active constituents isn't "organizing" in my book. What is, though - and this is the hilarious part - is that the Democrats are now busing Democrats in from other places to attend these town halls to make the crowds appear more friendly.
According to a new poll released yesterday, support for Obamacare has now reached its lowest point yet with only 42% of Americans in favor. 53% of us oppose the bill.
At some point, Obama and the Democrats are going to have to wake up and realize that they are ignoring the truth that undertaking these utterly desperate tactics bely: Americans don't want Obamacare. Period.
Democratic leaders and strategists such as Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid are calling Americans who oppose Obamacare "brownshirts", comparing them to Nazis, saying they like to display swastikas, calling them an "angry mob" and saying that they are "un-American."
Wow.
When did the level of discourse in this country fall to that level? People who disagree with your ridiculously bad healthcare bill are all of a sudden Nazis? Unamerican?
Good thing George Bush was President the last 8 years or we never would have learned that dissent is patriotic.
The hilarious thing is that Democrats have accused Republicans of organizing these protests at the town hall meetings, even though no evidence exists of them doing so. Conservative talk radio and think tank groups are encouraging people to attend the town halls, but encouraging people to be active constituents isn't "organizing" in my book. What is, though - and this is the hilarious part - is that the Democrats are now busing Democrats in from other places to attend these town halls to make the crowds appear more friendly.
According to a new poll released yesterday, support for Obamacare has now reached its lowest point yet with only 42% of Americans in favor. 53% of us oppose the bill.
At some point, Obama and the Democrats are going to have to wake up and realize that they are ignoring the truth that undertaking these utterly desperate tactics bely: Americans don't want Obamacare. Period.
Friday, August 7, 2009
Obama's Bellyflop... and a Warning for the GOP
Obama's numbers continue to sink across the country - Quinnipiac, YouGov/Polimetrix, and Rasmussen all have only 50% of Americans approving of him as President now; Zogby pegs it at 53%; Gallup says it's a slightly higher 56%. What is even more interesting now is the state-by-state approval ratings.
For instance, in Ohio Obama's approval numbers dropped from 62% in May to 49% in July. In Virginia, his approval rating slipped to an abysmal 42% last week (with 51% disapproving). North Carolina's most recent polls show Obama plummeting from 64% down to 49%.
All three of those states are places Obama won back in November (the first two by around 6% and NC by a little over 1%). They carry a total of 48 electoral votes which Obama would presumably lose today.
One of the many things weighing down the Obama presidency is the healthcare debacle. There is not a single poll out there now that gives Obama net favorable marks on handling the healthcare issue. For instance: Time gives him a 46% approval rating, CBS - 46%, NBC - 41%, NPR - 42%, Pew Research - 42%. Not many people like the healthcare bill that Congress luckily allowed time to run out on before their August recess.
And while Republicans might be cheering these developments as more and more people sour on President Hope'n'change, there is a warning for the GOP as well: Americans still don't like you, either. In fact, Americans still despise you. They just hate Obama and are looking for some viable alternative, and since we've only got a two-party system, you're it.
For instance, Quinnipiac, Pew, and Hotline all peg the GOP Congressional approval rating at 29%. CBS has it at 28%. ABC says it's at 36%. Those are ridiculously awful numbers.
So as Americans jump ship from the SS Barack, they're not going to land easily on your ship, Republicans. You'd better come up with something to offer the masses more than simply refusing to go along with Obama's plans. Because sooner or later, this economy is going to turn around and when it does Obama's numbers are going to naturally start going up again. When they do, you can't count on more self-inflicted wounds like the healthcare debacle to benefit your party any longer.
For instance, in Ohio Obama's approval numbers dropped from 62% in May to 49% in July. In Virginia, his approval rating slipped to an abysmal 42% last week (with 51% disapproving). North Carolina's most recent polls show Obama plummeting from 64% down to 49%.
All three of those states are places Obama won back in November (the first two by around 6% and NC by a little over 1%). They carry a total of 48 electoral votes which Obama would presumably lose today.
One of the many things weighing down the Obama presidency is the healthcare debacle. There is not a single poll out there now that gives Obama net favorable marks on handling the healthcare issue. For instance: Time gives him a 46% approval rating, CBS - 46%, NBC - 41%, NPR - 42%, Pew Research - 42%. Not many people like the healthcare bill that Congress luckily allowed time to run out on before their August recess.
And while Republicans might be cheering these developments as more and more people sour on President Hope'n'change, there is a warning for the GOP as well: Americans still don't like you, either. In fact, Americans still despise you. They just hate Obama and are looking for some viable alternative, and since we've only got a two-party system, you're it.
For instance, Quinnipiac, Pew, and Hotline all peg the GOP Congressional approval rating at 29%. CBS has it at 28%. ABC says it's at 36%. Those are ridiculously awful numbers.
So as Americans jump ship from the SS Barack, they're not going to land easily on your ship, Republicans. You'd better come up with something to offer the masses more than simply refusing to go along with Obama's plans. Because sooner or later, this economy is going to turn around and when it does Obama's numbers are going to naturally start going up again. When they do, you can't count on more self-inflicted wounds like the healthcare debacle to benefit your party any longer.
Monday, July 27, 2009
Obama's Numbers Reach New Lows
According to Rasmussen Reports, less than half of the country approves of the job Barack Obama is doing as President.
The last five days in the Rasmussen tracking poll, Obama's approval rating has been at 49%, while the percentage of those disapproving of the way he's doing his job has floated between 49-51%.
This is remarkable for the man who was riding historically high approval ratings when he came into office (one poll had him above 85%) and a meteoric fall in just a short seven months.
Within those numbers, 40% of Americans now strongly disapprove of Obama. The greatest indicator of support seems to be age, with Obama having a net positive approval rating with those under 30 years of age, an even 50/50 approval rating with 30-somethings, and a net negative rating with those over 40.
And it's not just Rasmussen: the latest Zogby poll also puts Obama's approval rating at a net negative with a 48/49 approval/disapproval split.
How did this happen? How did the white knight in shining armor lose his sheen so quickly? Misstep after misstep on issue after issue. A Gallup poll provides more interesting breakdown according to issues:
On the issue of healthcare, only 44% approve of Obama's performance while 50% disapprove (and that number includes a negative 40/55 split for independents). On the issues of the economy, it's a negative 47/49 split. On taxes, another negative: 45/48. And on handling the deficit, a huge 41/55 net disapproval.
And a separate Rasmussen poll now shows that if the election were held today between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the two would tie at 45% each.
Americans are quickly discovering that hope and change aren't exactly what they bargained for.
The last five days in the Rasmussen tracking poll, Obama's approval rating has been at 49%, while the percentage of those disapproving of the way he's doing his job has floated between 49-51%.
This is remarkable for the man who was riding historically high approval ratings when he came into office (one poll had him above 85%) and a meteoric fall in just a short seven months.
Within those numbers, 40% of Americans now strongly disapprove of Obama. The greatest indicator of support seems to be age, with Obama having a net positive approval rating with those under 30 years of age, an even 50/50 approval rating with 30-somethings, and a net negative rating with those over 40.
And it's not just Rasmussen: the latest Zogby poll also puts Obama's approval rating at a net negative with a 48/49 approval/disapproval split.
How did this happen? How did the white knight in shining armor lose his sheen so quickly? Misstep after misstep on issue after issue. A Gallup poll provides more interesting breakdown according to issues:
On the issue of healthcare, only 44% approve of Obama's performance while 50% disapprove (and that number includes a negative 40/55 split for independents). On the issues of the economy, it's a negative 47/49 split. On taxes, another negative: 45/48. And on handling the deficit, a huge 41/55 net disapproval.
And a separate Rasmussen poll now shows that if the election were held today between Barack Obama and Mitt Romney, the two would tie at 45% each.
Americans are quickly discovering that hope and change aren't exactly what they bargained for.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Killing You Softly With Healthcare
This is one of the most frightening reasons I did not vote for Barack Obama (although I couldn't bring myself to vote for the other guy, either): his ideas on health care. And now the Democrats are set to ram healthcare reform through in the next three weeks before leaving for their regularly scheduled Congressional recess (and no, not the kind with monkey bars and merry-go-rounds, although that might do them some good).
It's gearing up to be a pretty strict party-line vote, but since the Dems control both houses of Congress that's all they need.
So here are the details of Barack's master plan to make this world a better place, taken straight from the AP report. The plan:
That information right there ought to be enough to make anyone pause in trepidation. A massive new government program that will partially paid for by increasing costs to the very people - medical providers - that are supposed to provide the services. So while demand for medical services goes up, medical providers' costs skyrocket and the cost of medical care goes up. That sounds like a great system.
Even better, let's also make employers - people who give us jobs - pay for a huge part of the program, in the midst of a major recession when jobs are already tough to come by. Let's increase employer costs at a time when more and more employers are losing money. And then let's pretend also that those employers aren't going to pass those increased costs on to the consumer in the form of raised prices for their goods and services. Right.
And about the "wealthy" that will help fund this: the headline is a "surcharge tax" we will now have on people making more than a million dollars - 5.4% to be exact, on top of the 35% income tax they already pay - but what that headline doesn't tell you is the 5.4% is the point at which this new surcharge tax tops out. The tax is a gradual tax that actually begins with folks making $280,000.
All of that is scary enough. But then you start getting into the actual details of the plan and it gets worse. Again, these points are from AP reports, not from my personally biased opinions. Under the plan:
Additionally, in order to ensure that "affordable" health care is available, the government will step in acting as an insurance agent and offer their own plan - ostensibly to offer "competition" (to a market that is already flooded with literally hundreds of insurance companies).
All of this comes when, according to a survey done in June, 89% of Americans are satisfied with their healthcare - including 70% of those who don't have any insurance coverage!
The end result of this is easy to see: the government, funded by money from healthcare providers, employers, the "wealthy", and increased deficit spending, offers a healthcare plan cheaper than private insurance companies are able to. Meanwhile, quality of service goes down as cost of service and volume of those receiving service increases; employers shed more jobs or are hesitant to hire new employees because of the mandated insurance coverage and penalty fees; and ordinary citizens who can't afford the "affordable" insurance are hit with a tax on top of it all.
One of the biggest issues with this "fix" is that ultimately, the way to solve the healthcare/insurance problem in this country is to get away from the notion that employers provide health insurance as a benefit to their employees. Health insurance needs to be portable, not job-related - just like car insurance, homeowners insurance, etc. However, Obama's decree says employers must offer you insurance, and in return you must take that insurance (or the government's alternative offer).
It's no wonder 31 different organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Home Builders among others have signed a letter begging Obama and the Democrats not to pass this legislation.
They won't listen, of course. Because providing us all with "affordable" healthcare is going to be their legacy. On the upside, all this "affordable" healthcare will only cost us is quality and speed of care, jobs, increased cost of goods and services, and more money out of our pockets for fees and taxes. Awesome.
It's gearing up to be a pretty strict party-line vote, but since the Dems control both houses of Congress that's all they need.
So here are the details of Barack's master plan to make this world a better place, taken straight from the AP report. The plan:
- makes healthcare a right for all Americans
- will cost $1.5 trillion (our current entire federal budget right now is just over $3 trillion)
- makes medical providers, employers, and the "wealthy" pay for it
That information right there ought to be enough to make anyone pause in trepidation. A massive new government program that will partially paid for by increasing costs to the very people - medical providers - that are supposed to provide the services. So while demand for medical services goes up, medical providers' costs skyrocket and the cost of medical care goes up. That sounds like a great system.
Even better, let's also make employers - people who give us jobs - pay for a huge part of the program, in the midst of a major recession when jobs are already tough to come by. Let's increase employer costs at a time when more and more employers are losing money. And then let's pretend also that those employers aren't going to pass those increased costs on to the consumer in the form of raised prices for their goods and services. Right.
And about the "wealthy" that will help fund this: the headline is a "surcharge tax" we will now have on people making more than a million dollars - 5.4% to be exact, on top of the 35% income tax they already pay - but what that headline doesn't tell you is the 5.4% is the point at which this new surcharge tax tops out. The tax is a gradual tax that actually begins with folks making $280,000.
All of that is scary enough. But then you start getting into the actual details of the plan and it gets worse. Again, these points are from AP reports, not from my personally biased opinions. Under the plan:
- employers are forced to provide "affordable" health care to their employees.
- employers who do not offer "affordable" health care to their employees are hit with a fee equal to 8% of their total employees' wages.
- employees who decline health insurance coverage are hit with a fee of 2.5% of their wages or the cost of the coverage offered them, whichever is less
Additionally, in order to ensure that "affordable" health care is available, the government will step in acting as an insurance agent and offer their own plan - ostensibly to offer "competition" (to a market that is already flooded with literally hundreds of insurance companies).
All of this comes when, according to a survey done in June, 89% of Americans are satisfied with their healthcare - including 70% of those who don't have any insurance coverage!
The end result of this is easy to see: the government, funded by money from healthcare providers, employers, the "wealthy", and increased deficit spending, offers a healthcare plan cheaper than private insurance companies are able to. Meanwhile, quality of service goes down as cost of service and volume of those receiving service increases; employers shed more jobs or are hesitant to hire new employees because of the mandated insurance coverage and penalty fees; and ordinary citizens who can't afford the "affordable" insurance are hit with a tax on top of it all.
One of the biggest issues with this "fix" is that ultimately, the way to solve the healthcare/insurance problem in this country is to get away from the notion that employers provide health insurance as a benefit to their employees. Health insurance needs to be portable, not job-related - just like car insurance, homeowners insurance, etc. However, Obama's decree says employers must offer you insurance, and in return you must take that insurance (or the government's alternative offer).
It's no wonder 31 different organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, the National Retail Federation, the National Association of Manufacturers, the National Federation of Independent Business, the Business Roundtable, and the National Association of Home Builders among others have signed a letter begging Obama and the Democrats not to pass this legislation.
They won't listen, of course. Because providing us all with "affordable" healthcare is going to be their legacy. On the upside, all this "affordable" healthcare will only cost us is quality and speed of care, jobs, increased cost of goods and services, and more money out of our pockets for fees and taxes. Awesome.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
The Speech Obama Should Give
My fellow Americans, and people watching and listening across the world:
The past two weeks have shown us the incredibly dangerous world in which we live along with the darkest and most evil parts of the human heart: the desire to control and oppress at all cost, with no concern of human dignity or even human life. We have watched as a brutal government regime attacked its own people in a desperate attempt to hold on to the power they can only maintain through fear and intimidation.
But these past two weeks have also shown us the best the human spirit has to offer as well: courage of unbelievable measure, conviction in the fight against oppression no matter its face, and a yearning for freedom and liberty.
Make no mistake about it - the United States of America was founded on a basic set of principles: that all people are created equal and bestowed certain inalienable rights from their Creator - such as the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Throughout our history as a nation, we have always sided and supported those who also yearn to rediscover and claim those inalienable rights.
In Iran, we, along with the rest of the world, are watching as those rights are being denied in forceful and often violent and fatal ways. We watch in horror as an evil regime massacres its own people, simply for protesting the results of a rigged and fraudulent election.
While the Grand Council, the ruling elite in Iran, have declared the election an absolute victory for Ahmadinejad and declared that no fraud exists, what we know of the facts tell us differently. First, we know the Iranian government purported to count over 39 million handwritten votes in a matter of several hours - a claim that is simply impossible to believe. Secondly, we watched on Iranian state television as the vote totals of the reform candidates (not their percentage, but their actual votes) actually decreased over time. Thirdly, we know that in at least four dozen provinces the vote totals exceeded the number of registered voters. And finally, most importantly, Iranian election officials have risked their very lives - as well as those of their families - to come forward and report that before the ballots were even counted they were coerced to commit to saying Ahmadinejad won.
All of these lead the United States of America to join other countries such as our allies France, Germany, and Britain in declaring this election a fraud.
But it was in the aftermath of the election that all our eyes were opened to the brutality and the evil of the Iranian regime. When Iranian citizens took to the streets to protest the election results, the regime led by Khameini and Ahmadinejad resorted to violence in an attempt to quiet the so-called "Sea of Green" across the country. By some accounts, millions of Iranian citizens took to the streets looking for their vote to count.
After a few days of these protests, the government crackdown began. Innocent men, women, and children were arrested, beaten, killed, hacked to death with machetes or axes, or thrown off bridges among other atrocities. The government regime dumped acid-like chemicals on groups of protesters from helicopters above the streets. State militia guarded hospitals and embassies, arresting or beating those seeking refuge and treatment inside.
In response to those and other horrific acts carried out by the Iranian regime on their own citizens, the United States and the rest of the world can no longer stand on the sidelines hoping the people are able to win their independence. We cannot and will not sit idly by as hundreds of people are killed and tens of millions more oppressed under the iron fist of tyranny.
In the course of history, America will always choose to stand with those seeking liberty, justice, and freedom. And now we stand in solidarity with the Iranian people. In doing so, we are prepared to take the following actions against the oppressive Iranian regime:
We refuse to accept Ahmadinejad as the legitimate President of Iran and call for a new election to take place immediately - and one where the Grand Council does not handpick the candidates. We will not negotiate or maintain diplomatic relations with any Iranian government with Ahmadinejad in any post.
Furthermore, we are calling for and implementing economic sanctions against Iran until protesters are allowed to peacefully gather in the streets without fear of any retribution. The freedom of speech and assembly is a universal right that cannot be squelched without repercussion. These economic sanctions include cutting off all imports of Iranian oil as well as a complete divestment from all companies having dealings with Iran.
These actions are not being taken unilaterally. I have already spoken to many of our allies around the globe who will be taking the same or similar actions, and we will also be introducing a resolution toward those ends in the United Nations.
The regime in Iran must immediately halt the massive human rights violations they have undertaken in the past week. If not, they will find those in the world community who also stand for freedom, justice, and liberty standing opposed to them and the power they are so desperately clinging to slipping away from them even more.
Thank you, and may God bless those across the world fighting against tyranny and oppression. America stands with you in this most noble of fights.
The past two weeks have shown us the incredibly dangerous world in which we live along with the darkest and most evil parts of the human heart: the desire to control and oppress at all cost, with no concern of human dignity or even human life. We have watched as a brutal government regime attacked its own people in a desperate attempt to hold on to the power they can only maintain through fear and intimidation.
But these past two weeks have also shown us the best the human spirit has to offer as well: courage of unbelievable measure, conviction in the fight against oppression no matter its face, and a yearning for freedom and liberty.
Make no mistake about it - the United States of America was founded on a basic set of principles: that all people are created equal and bestowed certain inalienable rights from their Creator - such as the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Throughout our history as a nation, we have always sided and supported those who also yearn to rediscover and claim those inalienable rights.
In Iran, we, along with the rest of the world, are watching as those rights are being denied in forceful and often violent and fatal ways. We watch in horror as an evil regime massacres its own people, simply for protesting the results of a rigged and fraudulent election.
While the Grand Council, the ruling elite in Iran, have declared the election an absolute victory for Ahmadinejad and declared that no fraud exists, what we know of the facts tell us differently. First, we know the Iranian government purported to count over 39 million handwritten votes in a matter of several hours - a claim that is simply impossible to believe. Secondly, we watched on Iranian state television as the vote totals of the reform candidates (not their percentage, but their actual votes) actually decreased over time. Thirdly, we know that in at least four dozen provinces the vote totals exceeded the number of registered voters. And finally, most importantly, Iranian election officials have risked their very lives - as well as those of their families - to come forward and report that before the ballots were even counted they were coerced to commit to saying Ahmadinejad won.
All of these lead the United States of America to join other countries such as our allies France, Germany, and Britain in declaring this election a fraud.
But it was in the aftermath of the election that all our eyes were opened to the brutality and the evil of the Iranian regime. When Iranian citizens took to the streets to protest the election results, the regime led by Khameini and Ahmadinejad resorted to violence in an attempt to quiet the so-called "Sea of Green" across the country. By some accounts, millions of Iranian citizens took to the streets looking for their vote to count.
After a few days of these protests, the government crackdown began. Innocent men, women, and children were arrested, beaten, killed, hacked to death with machetes or axes, or thrown off bridges among other atrocities. The government regime dumped acid-like chemicals on groups of protesters from helicopters above the streets. State militia guarded hospitals and embassies, arresting or beating those seeking refuge and treatment inside.
In response to those and other horrific acts carried out by the Iranian regime on their own citizens, the United States and the rest of the world can no longer stand on the sidelines hoping the people are able to win their independence. We cannot and will not sit idly by as hundreds of people are killed and tens of millions more oppressed under the iron fist of tyranny.
In the course of history, America will always choose to stand with those seeking liberty, justice, and freedom. And now we stand in solidarity with the Iranian people. In doing so, we are prepared to take the following actions against the oppressive Iranian regime:
We refuse to accept Ahmadinejad as the legitimate President of Iran and call for a new election to take place immediately - and one where the Grand Council does not handpick the candidates. We will not negotiate or maintain diplomatic relations with any Iranian government with Ahmadinejad in any post.
Furthermore, we are calling for and implementing economic sanctions against Iran until protesters are allowed to peacefully gather in the streets without fear of any retribution. The freedom of speech and assembly is a universal right that cannot be squelched without repercussion. These economic sanctions include cutting off all imports of Iranian oil as well as a complete divestment from all companies having dealings with Iran.
These actions are not being taken unilaterally. I have already spoken to many of our allies around the globe who will be taking the same or similar actions, and we will also be introducing a resolution toward those ends in the United Nations.
The regime in Iran must immediately halt the massive human rights violations they have undertaken in the past week. If not, they will find those in the world community who also stand for freedom, justice, and liberty standing opposed to them and the power they are so desperately clinging to slipping away from them even more.
Thank you, and may God bless those across the world fighting against tyranny and oppression. America stands with you in this most noble of fights.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Bush and Obama: Perspectives on Terrorism
Look, I'm no fan of George W. Bush. He was reckless when it came to fiscal policy and he used social issues to divide, rather than unite, the country. He had a unique way of ticking off the right and the left at the same time so there was nobody left who liked him in the end. And I think the Bush/Cheney administration caused a lot more harm than good to the cause of conservatism and set the conservative movement in this country back a couple decades at least.
But credit must be given where credit is due, and there was one thing that the Bush administration did extremely well: kept this country safe.
The differences between the Bush and Obama administrations on the issue of homeland security could not have been more stark than they were on Thursday when Dick Cheney and Barack Obama gave dueling national security speeches. While Obama set forth an apologetic security policy and utterly rejected the Bush administration's methods of keeping this country safe, Dick Cheney (a man who I dislike greatly as a politician) laid out one of the plainest, simplest, best arguments I have ever heard on this subject.
Here is the basic gist of what he said:
America and American interests were attacked by terrorists no less than six major times in eight years leading up to 2001 ('93 WTC, '95 Riyadh, '96 Khobar Towers, '98 Embassy bombings, '00 USS Cole, '01 9/11). After those six attacks, the Bush administration instituted new methods of dealing with the threat. Since that time, there have been exactly zero attacks on America or American interests abroad. 2,689 days.
The terrorists have attacked Spain, India, Pakistan, Britain, and other countries. But they have not attacked us. As Jim Geraghty notes, the standard has been set. And Obama is now tinkering with the methods - methods that worked.
Make no mistake about it - as horrible as the Bush presidency was otherwise, America was safe for 2,689 days (while other countries were attacked around the world) because of Bush, Cheney, and the rest of their team. If an attack on this country or our interests occurs now, after Obama attempts to fix something that isn't broken, he's going to have a lot to answer for.
But credit must be given where credit is due, and there was one thing that the Bush administration did extremely well: kept this country safe.
The differences between the Bush and Obama administrations on the issue of homeland security could not have been more stark than they were on Thursday when Dick Cheney and Barack Obama gave dueling national security speeches. While Obama set forth an apologetic security policy and utterly rejected the Bush administration's methods of keeping this country safe, Dick Cheney (a man who I dislike greatly as a politician) laid out one of the plainest, simplest, best arguments I have ever heard on this subject.
Here is the basic gist of what he said:
America and American interests were attacked by terrorists no less than six major times in eight years leading up to 2001 ('93 WTC, '95 Riyadh, '96 Khobar Towers, '98 Embassy bombings, '00 USS Cole, '01 9/11). After those six attacks, the Bush administration instituted new methods of dealing with the threat. Since that time, there have been exactly zero attacks on America or American interests abroad. 2,689 days.
The terrorists have attacked Spain, India, Pakistan, Britain, and other countries. But they have not attacked us. As Jim Geraghty notes, the standard has been set. And Obama is now tinkering with the methods - methods that worked.
Make no mistake about it - as horrible as the Bush presidency was otherwise, America was safe for 2,689 days (while other countries were attacked around the world) because of Bush, Cheney, and the rest of their team. If an attack on this country or our interests occurs now, after Obama attempts to fix something that isn't broken, he's going to have a lot to answer for.
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