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He Was Supposed to Be Competent

Crunch

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The spill is a disaster for the president and his political philosophy.
The Wall Street Journal: May 29, 2010

I don’t see how the president’s position and popularity can survive the oil spill. This is his third political disaster in his first 18 months in office. And they were all, as they say, unforced errors, meaning they were shaped by the president’s political judgment and instincts.

There was the tearing and unnecessary war over his health-care proposal and its cost. There was his day-to-day indifference to the views and hopes of the majority of voters regarding illegal immigration. And now the past almost 40 days of dodging and dithering in the face of an environmental calamity. I don’t see how you politically survive this.

Peggy Noonan: Home

Hammer, nail, head.
 

I'm not really sure those exactly qualify as examples of "political disasters." The healthcare bill was controversial to be sure, but a "political disaster?" Can't agree with you there.

While his way of responding to illegal immigration may have also been frustrating to many, it also can't be called an active misstep, really. And besides, solving the illegal immigration requires actions that would run contrary to our principles of citizens free from the molestation of an overbearing government. It's little wonder that any president would want to be the first one enact such new laws.

As for the oil spill I was very unhappy with Obama at first, but as more solutions are being thrown at the problem it's becoming increasingly clear that, presently speaking, the leak's logistical barriers are greater than our current engineering know-how. Nobody has any system in place for addressing this problem, so I just can't see how that's Obama's fault. There isn't a president in history who wouldn't have stepped in weeks ago if he or the agencies he commands had some solution at hand.

Peggy Noonan is really reaching here.
 
I'm not really sure those exactly qualify as examples of "political disasters." The healthcare bill was controversial to be sure, but a "political disaster?" Can't agree with you there.

While his way of responding to illegal immigration may have also been frustrating to many, it also can't be called an active misstep, really. And besides, solving the illegal immigration requires actions that would run contrary to our principles of citizens free from the molestation of an overbearing government. It's little wonder that any president would want to be the first one enact such new laws.

As for the oil spill I was very unhappy with Obama at first, but as more solutions are being thrown at the problem it's becoming increasingly clear that, presently speaking, the leak's logistical barriers are greater than our current engineering know-how. Nobody has any system in place for addressing this problem, so I just can't see how that's Obama's fault. There isn't a president in history who wouldn't have stepped in weeks ago if he or the agencies he commands had some solution at hand.

Peggy Noonan is really reaching here.

With regards to the so called immigration problem.
A couple of points.
1) The USA has a declining birth rate, in order to keep population growth, Immigration is a necessity.
2) If Obama were truly serious about controlling Immigration he would have acted with an equal emphasis with regard to extra border troops to every State requesting such.
With Regards to the Oil spill, I agree that no one, be they Government or Oil Company has a definitive solution at the moment.
With regards to the oil being contained once it leaches from the area of the spill, the Government should have realized that it was not within the capability of the Oil Company to contain the majority of this spilled Oil.
The Government could, indeed should have accepted the offers of help from any or all of the 17 other Country's that offered help.
Obama placed these so called CZAR's into their various positions of authority, where they answer to no one save OBAMA.
The States have been screeming for help to contain this spilt oil ever since the leak occurred without any sign that Government was either listening or willing to respond.
When Obama did eventually respond it was with such platitudes as 'BP WILL PAY for all of this to be cleaned up" and various other imprecations.
It was only after the clamor from primarily Louisiana became strident enough to be printed in Left leaning Media that someone suggested another visit to Louisiana might be in order.
Even then, Obama could only spare 3 hours before going on to a vacation.
A vacation in the middle of a crisis like this!!!!
Incompetence does not even begin to describe his inaction.
 
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I'm not really sure those exactly qualify as examples of "political disasters." The healthcare bill was controversial to be sure, but a "political disaster?" Can't agree with you there.

While his way of responding to illegal immigration may have also been frustrating to many, it also can't be called an active misstep, really. And besides, solving the illegal immigration requires actions that would run contrary to our principles of citizens free from the molestation of an overbearing government. It's little wonder that any president would want to be the first one enact such new laws.

As for the oil spill I was very unhappy with Obama at first, but as more solutions are being thrown at the problem it's becoming increasingly clear that, presently speaking, the leak's logistical barriers are greater than our current engineering know-how. Nobody has any system in place for addressing this problem, so I just can't see how that's Obama's fault. There isn't a president in history who wouldn't have stepped in weeks ago if he or the agencies he commands had some solution at hand.

Peggy Noonan is really reaching here.

The key word is citizens. Illegals aren't citizens and should not be protected in the same manner. All law abiding citizens should not mind if they are occasionally asked for proof they are citizens giving the huge problem we have with it. Investigations of any crime call for asking questions of people who actually didn't commit a crime. The assumption by the opponents of the Arizona law is that law enforcement will be over zealous. The law itself is more than reasonable so to be against something because of what you think might happen is kind of foolish. The fact is most people protesting don't want any serious immigration law enforcement because of their poltical beliefs.
 
I look forward to Obama's reply......when he gets back from vacation.
 
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