Grading Obama's First Year

President Obama’s first year in office is complete. Polls show that half the country consider it a failure. Obama’s approval rating is now under 50% in most polls (although I did see one today that placed it at 56%). A number of factors converge to explain these numbers. The economy is still bad and he has not addressed it. No one wants Obamacare. The country faced two terror attacks and he took forever to decide what to do in Afghanistan. Now that the year is over, Obama can now be graded and compared to other presidents.

Domestic policy: He has not done anything. No one wants Obamacare, but that is not yet complete. Cap and trade probably won’t pass. Since nothing has happened, he gets a “C” for domestic policy. Grade: C

Foreign Policy: His policy of engagement with Iran is in shambles and the Islamic Republic is on the verge of acquiring nuclear weapons. The administration appears willing to accept this. Meanwhile, the people of Iran revolted against the Mullahs and Obama has been MIA. Meanwhile, most foreign leaders consider him a lightweight. China dodged him at Copenhagen and Russia pats him on the head and tells him to go play. The French openly mock him. Grade: D

Afghanistan and Iraq: Iraq seems to have calmed down since the 2007 surge. Afghanistan was burning and Obama took forever to decide to proceed with a surge. He gets a good grade for making the decision, but loses points for taking months to make it. Grade: C

Economy: He has ignored the economy. Unemployment is over 10% and real unemployment is over 17%. The stimulus failed to stimulate the economy and turned out to be nothing more than a big payoff. The budget deficit is out of control and raising taxes will only slow the economy further. Grade: F

War on Terror: After no attacks on the homeland since 911, there have been two under Obama. Luckily, the Fort Hood Shooter will be tried in military court. Meanwhile, the underwear bomber is going to civilian court for whatever reason. He also moved some terror suspects, including KSM, to American courts after they confessed in military tribunals. The administration has promised convictions even if the defendants are found innocent which calls into question the legitimacy of the proceedings. Plus, many Gitmo detainees are going to military tribunals. So, the civilian court trials make no sense. Obama also promises to close Gitmo which is unnecessary. He wrongly claims it is a recruiting tool for terrorists. America's existence is the recruiting tool. Plus, the terrorists are probably better off in Cuba than in American prisons. Grade: F

Intangibles: In many respects, he is the anti-Carter. While President Carter opposed his own party in Congress and got in their way, Obama stays out of the way and rarely pushes his agenda. This makes him look weak. Meanwhile, he has done more interviews and personal appearances in his first year than Clinton and Bush 43 combined. He is overexposed and tends to play celebrity as opposed to president. It's like he's playing a role as opposed to working at a job. Plus, his policies run counter to the wishes of the American people. In fact, he’s been so far to the left, that his policies have scared the people of Massachusetts into electing a Republican senator for the first time since 1972. As a result, he has scored some of the lowest approval ratings in history. Grade: D

Some Obama first year highlights: He held a beer summit, went for a burger with Joe Biden, attended a Broadway show, killed a fly, called Kanye a “jackass”, and got annoyed because a terror attack interrupted his Christmas vacation.

Overall: D+