Far be it from me to criticize Barack Obama before he's even had a chance to
rule. Well, he's had almost three weeks in office as I write, and some patterns
are beginning to emerge. Here is a list of accomplishments 20 days into
President Obama's first term.
Prior to taking office.
-- Bill Richardson withdrew his nomination for Secretary of Commerce "under
pressure of a federal investigation into how his political donors landed a
lucrative transportation contract."
-- In December, President-elect Obama introduced a $775B stimulus plan, which
enjoyed a 79% approval rating in the polls at the time .
-- By January 12, the cost of the stimulus was up to $850B and "43% of people
surveyed called it a ‘good idea,' while 27% said it is a ‘bad idea.' The
rest didn't have an opinion," according to the Wall Street Journal .
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Ethics Commitments by Executive Branch
Personnel," which requires Obama's appointees to sign a statement saying they
won't violate existing laws on things like gifts from lobbyists. That is, if
you work for Obama, you are expected to obey the law. It's a new era.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Presidential Records," which makes it
easier to obtain former Presidents' documents over objections on grounds of
executive privilege. It specifically revokes George W. Bush's Executive Order
13233. If you had been planning to take Bush to court, your job just got a
little easier.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on "Pay Freeze," which says, "I intend
to freeze the salaries of senior members of the White House staff", and directs
the Assistant to the President and the Chief of Staff to get back to him on that
in 30 days. The 30 days aren't up yet, so the freeze level is unknown at this
time.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on the "Freedom of Information Act,"
which, from what I can tell, does nothing new except direct the Attorney General
to issue guidelines "reaffirming the commitment to accountability and
transparency." So existing policy is reaffirmed.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Ensuring Lawful Interrogations," which
defines "outrages upon personal dignity (including humiliating and degrading
treatment)" as "torture" or the equivalent of torture, and not allowed by any
agency of the US government, at least upon persons in custody. (If you are not
in custody, it is still OK for the government to humiliate you.) This order
also says all interrogations must be in accordance with the Army Field Manual -
unless, of course, "the Attorney General with appropriate consultation provides
further guidance." I believe waterboarding used to require a go-ahead from the
President or Vice President; now Eric Holder is good enough.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Closure of Guantanamo Detention
Facilities," which says Gitmo "shall be closed as soon as practicable, and no
later than 1 year from the date of this order." It also orders a halt in all
military commissions there, while the Gitmo situation gets reviewed.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Review of Detention Policy Options,"
which establishes a task force to study what to do with "individuals captured
or apprehended in connection with armed conflicts and counterterrorism
operations."
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on the "Review of the Detention of Ali
Saleh Kahlah al-Marri," who is being held as an enemy combatant in the Navy brig
in Charleston, South Carolina. He is the only enemy combatant known to be held
in the continental US. He is a citizen of Qatar, but was arrested in Peoria,
Illinois, because, according to the New York Times , "government officials
contended that he was an al-Qaeda sleeper agent, sent to the US to commit mass
murder and disrupt the banking system." This presidential memorandum says his
case should be reviewed, just like all the Gitmo cases. Apparently, the problem
is not whether enemy combatants are held in Gitmo or somewhere else; the
problem, apparently, is holding those who intend to commit mass murder at all.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on "Mexico City Policy and Assistance
for Voluntary Population Planning." The Mexico City Policy was enacted by
President Reagan, rescinded by President Clinton and reinstated by President
Bush. Now President Obama is rescinding it again. The policy prohibits
nongovernmental organizations from using federal funds "to pay for the
performance of abortions ... or to motivate or coerce any person to practice
abortions." So rescinding that policy allows US government funds to pay for
abortions or to coerce people to have or provide them.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on the "State of California Request
for Waiver Under the Clean Air Act." This memorandum orders the EPA to review
the decision denying California a waiver to enforce stricter auto emissions
standards. If the waiver is granted, California will become the defacto arbiter
of auto emissions standards in the US. So in a case of obvious interstate
commerce with enormous national economic impact, President Obama rediscovers the
value of states' rights.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on "The Energy Independence and
Security Act of 2007." This memorandum directs the Secretary of Transportation
and the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to
do their jobs. Federal law requires that the NHTSA publish a final rule on fuel
standards for model year 2011 vehicles by March 30, 2009. This memorandum says
the NHTSA must comply with that federal law.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on "Unexpected Urgent Refugee and
Migration Needs Related to Gaza." This memorandum directs that up to $20.3
million be used for "humanitarian needs of Palestinian refugees and conflict
victims in Gaza." In a totally unrelated story one week later, "Armed police
officials with the Palestinian militant group Hamas in Gaza seized United
Nations refugee supplies at gunpoint."
-- Timothy Geithner was confirmed as Secretary of the Treasury. Geithner
suffered a short-lived controversy for failure to fully pay taxes. He paid
$34,000 in back taxes. After admitting to "careless mistakes" in doing his own
taxes, he is now in charge of tax collection for the government of the United
States.
-- Obama's stimulus package passed the House with a vote of 244-188. That
version of the plan was $819B. All 288 yea votes were from Democrats. The
opposition was bipartisan: all 177 Republicans and 11 Democrats.
January 29, "No Statute of Limitations on Anything Day."
-- Obama signed into law the "Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act," making it easier to
file equal-pay lawsuits. Before, such a lawsuit had to be filed within 180 days
of the date the pay was agreed upon. Now the limit is within 180 days of the
most recent paycheck. So trial lawyers can now search for pay discrimination
decades into the past.
-- "A day after President Obama struck a conciliatory tone toward Iran,
President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad urged Washington on Wednesday to apologize for its
actions toward his country for the past 60 years." Iran has also given the
preconditions necessary before talking with Obama: send all US military forces
back to the US.
January 30, "Payback the Unions and Keep Joe Busy Day."
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Notification of Employee Rights Under
Federal Labor Laws", which revokes George W. Bush's Executive Order 13201, which
forced employers to notify employees of their rights. However, government
contractors will be forced to "post a notice, of such size and in such form, and
containing such content as the Secretary of Labor shall prescribe, in
conspicuous places in and about its plants and offices." So the notices will no
longer contain what President Bush wanted them to contain (e.g., their rights
under the law), but what the new Secretary of Labor wants them to contain.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Economy in Government Contracting", which
says government contractors will no longer be reimbursed for "any activities
undertaken to persuade employees to exercise or not to exercise" the right to
organize and bargain collectively.
-- Obama issued an Executive Order on "Nondisplacement of Qualified Workers
Under Service Contracts", which says a government contractor can't just hire who
he wants, but must first try to hire the same people who worked for the previous
contactor - the contractor who likely lost a competitive bid to the new
contractor.
-- Obama issued a Presidential Memorandum on "White House Task Force on
Middle-Class Working Families." This puts Joe Biden in charge of a task force
to "focus on raising the living standards of middle-class working families."
The task force must provide annual reports on its findings and recommendations.
-- Tom Daschle withdrew as Secretary of Health and Human Services due to
controversy involving failure to fully pay his taxes from 2005 to 2007. He
ultimately paid $128,000 in back taxes plus $11,964 in interest. He was also
criticized for his lobbying ties to the health industry, after having made over
$5 million in the last few years.
-- Nancy Killefer withdrew as deputy director at the Office of Management and
Budget and the first "performance officer" in the White House due to tax
problems, including failure to pay unemployment compensation on household help.
-- According to the Financial Times, "India has warned US President Barack Obama
that he risks ‘barking up the wrong tree' if he seeks to broker a settlement
between Pakistan and India over the disputed territory of Kashmir... the new US
administration was in danger of dredging up out of date Clinton
administration-era strategies... The warning comes as Richard Holbrooke, Mr
Obama's special envoy to Pakistan and Afghanistan, prepares to come to the
region for the first time."
-- Support for Obama's stimulus package, now flirting with a $900B price tag,
fell to 37%, according to Rasmussen.
-- Iran denied visas to the US Women's Badminton Team, sent by the US in hopes
of easing tensions between the two countries.
-- Iran launched its first satellite into space. According to Voice of America
, "to leaders and analysts in the west, the satellite launch represents a
forward step in Iran's apparent quest to be both nuclear capable and able to
deliver a warhead on target."