Goodbye 2009

With the ending of 2009 in a few days, we will see the end of year one of the age of Obama. While the first year was not an unmitigated disaster, I think it best described as a mitigated disaster. Here's what we got: 1) A stimulus bill that did not stimulate, but rather made payoffs to favored Obamacrat groups and wasted precious federal assets. 2) A healthcare "reform bill" that does not accomplish any of Obama's main objectives but still cost trillions of dollars and sets up 29 new federal agencies to control or monitor the health system with little or no benefit for the American people. Oh, and a bill that got passed despite heavy opposition from the American people themselves. 3) A House passed cap and trade bill that would cripple the economy to deal with a problem which may or may not be real. Anthropomorphic global warming may be a creature of phony science if the hacked e-mails from East Anglia are to be believed. Instead of having the courage to organize an immediate transparent review of the underlying science by the federal govenment, Obama played the ostrich and put his head in the sand. 4) A foreign policy long on apology and short on accomplishments. Probably the biggest accomplishment in the sphere of foreign policy in 2009 is that we are not yet in another war. 5) In Afghanistan, a dithering president who decides on his policy in March and orders an action plan to carry it out, only to rethink the objective for months and months once that plan is presented to him. Resolute? I think not. 6) In the War on Terrorism (sorry, but I still call it that), a purported leader who wants to ignore it and go back to the very unsuccessful methods used by Clinton. It is just a law enforcement matter, even if that leaves the country much less safe than before. And finally 7) a man who is so certain of his infallibility, that every time (and there were many) that bad news came forward in 2009, Obama managed to try to blame George W Bush for it. To say the least, it is getting a old. I doubt that the American people even hear it much anymore. Obama has managed to take his persona, probably his greatest asset, and transform himself from a smart, insightful, reasonable centrist who is beyond partisanship (remember "there are no red states or blue states on the United States?") and turn himself into an old fashioned ward politician who sees every problem as the fault of the other side. One who will not even speak to the opposition to see if they have any ideas worth using. One who will never say I accept responsibility for this event. One who will never use the truth whena lie would be more convenient for his narritive.

So, although none of items 1-7 are good, at least 2 and 3 have not yet passed and we are still here. Let's hope 2010 will be better. I feel reasonably confident that the high point will be in November, but time will tell.