FAYETTEVILLE — Idon't think I could be a president of the USA. I like to sleep late and spend a lot of time on the couch watchingfootball. Maybe it's a part of the aging process. To tell the truth I've always been a little lazy.
By comparison, Barack Obama is a high energy guy. He ran for president and won! The demands on his time are incredible. Does he ever have time to lie on the couch and watch football, or play with the new dog and the kids, and what about Michelle? She appears to be the kind of woman who would demand a certain amount of attention.
After eight months in office, let's survey some of the activities and policies placed in motion by the new president of the USA:
◊Stimulus package: When Obama took office the entire economy was about to fall apart. I don't think any of us realized how close we came to disaster. Henry Paulson and Ben Bernanke talked the Bush administration into the $700 billion TARP bailout in fall 2008. Obama demanded a stimulus package that some say is a failure but many others argue has stabilized the economy and provided or saved thousands of jobs. I give Obama a B+ for the stimulus package.
◊Auto industry: Due to the recession and really bad planning by automakers, cars sales went through the floor in 2008. The Big Three auto companies lost billions of dollars. GM continued to build gas guzzlers and big trucks even though most people could see the handwriting on the wall years ago. Obama refused to let them all fail and bailed them out. He insisted on bankruptcy for GM, as well as the CEO's head on a platter. Critics scream "socialism," but many others said it had to be done. GM just announced the rehiring of 3,000 workers, while Ford introduced a new vehicle in India. It appears the auto industry has stabilized, and there is hope it will survive. Obama gets a B+.
◊Banking industry: When Obama came into office the banking system was on the verge of collapse. Who knows how it happened or saw it coming. Gigantic banks that we all assumed were making billions of dollars were actually about to go under. Somehow Bernanke and Timothy Geithner pulled them out of a downward spiral by using the TARP money, and things seem to be stabilizing. Goldman Sachs is showing record profits and the CEOs will be getting their multi-million-dollar bonuses after all. Bernanke and Geithner get a B+.
◊Iraq: The war was winding down when Obama came into office. He hasn't messed it up by withdrawing troops too quickly, and that's a good thing. Internal violence has been up lately around Baghdad, but sectarian violence will likely go on forever. Keep our boysout of the fray and then sneak them home as soon as possible. Obama gets a B+.
◊Afghanistan: Obama campaigned on getting out of Iraq and sending more troops to Afghanistan where he believed the real battle against terrorism could be won. But things have changed forthe worse. The Taliban has returned and seems to be growing stronger. Obama must decide if he will send as many as 40,000 troops to Afghanistan to continue this war, or attempt to fight the Taliban along the Pakistani border with drones and special forces. It's a true dilemma. Some say neither plan is workable, and besides, we don't have an extra 40,000 troops and the equipment available is worn out and useless. The election that Hamid Karzai allegedly stole may give Obama the excuse he needs to change his mind and get out. We can't give a grade on Afghanistan because a decision has not been made. It's the most troublesome issue he has to face.
◊Iran: Obama campaigned on reaching out to nations like Iran and trying to engage them in dialogue to solve our problems. Last week's announcement of a secret nuclear development plant and the firing of rockets that can carry a nuclear warhead may have changed all that. Iran is determined to have nuclear capabilities. If Israel attacks and attempts to destroy this nuclear facility it could create an all-out nuclear war, which could mean the end of life as we know it. Our only hope are sanctions against Iran, but Russia and China must go along with the sanctions or they are useless. Obama is demanding that Iran allow the United Nations to inspect the sites, which is about all we can do at this time. If he can persuade Russia and China to go along with sanctions he should win the Nobel Peace Prize and get an A+ from me for saving the planet and the remainder of the NFL season.
◊Health care: Hundreds of amendments have been attached to the Baucus bill alone. Critics of health care reform - which include Republicans, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and all others who make millions of dollars off old sick people - have done a good job of slowing down reform. President Obama will get a bill of some kind, but it may be too late to really reform health care. He gets a B+ for effort and an A for even trying.
I'm glad I decided not to run for president. I can sleep late, recline on the couch and watch a lot of football.
Grady Jim Robinson is a freelance writer and a professional speaker who lives in Fayetteville. His column appears on Wednesdays.
Opinion, Pages 4 on 09/30/2009