Too Much Tequila, Too Little Sunscreen

A report Card

Barack Obama said all of the right things during his almost two year campaign. I agreed with him 100% and thought it would be fun to keep score on how he and I agreed for the first 100 days of his presidency. Remember, this is my report card and I grade subjectively on a curve.

D      Choosing Joe Biden as his running mate

F       Asking the Rev. Rick Warren to give the inauguration invocation

A+    Ordering plans to withdraw combat forces from Iraq

A       Deciding to close the Guantanamo Bay prison camp

B-     Tightening the limits on the interrogation tactics of the CIA

C-     Making an exception to his anti-lobbying rules for William J. Lynn III

B+     Reversing Bush’s policy on not funding embryonic stem cell research

B       Reversing Bush’s policy on not funding groups providing abortions

C+     Ordering the EPA to reconsider CA’s application to limit auto emissions

B       Delivering his first radio address to the Muslim world

B+    Getting his economic stimulus bill to congress in his second week

C+    Going to the capitol to build bilateral support for his stimulus plan

B+     Presenting the US’s new attitude at the Munich Security Conference

?       Nominating Tom Daschle to head Health and Human Services

A      Signing a bill extending healthcare coverage to 4M uninsured children

?       Delaying the switch to digital TV

A      Driving his stimulus package through congress in less than a month

?       Approves adding 17,000 new troops to war in Afghanistan

A      Unveiling his $75 billion Homeowner Affordability and Stability Plan

B       Authoring and selling his economic stimulus plan

B+     Convening a fiscal summit with 130 advisers and adversaries

A      Addressing the joint session of congress

B       Authoring a budget funding energy research, healthcare, and education

B+     Setting a time table for troop withdrawal from Iraq

B       Reversing Bush’s order to waive Endangered Species Act procedures

B       Launching the “Making Home Affordable” initiative to help 9M borrowers

A       Hosting his summit on healthcare reform

C+     Having Secretary Clinton begin to patch things up with Russia

B       Reversing Bush’s limits on financing for embryonic stem cell research

D       Issuing a “signing statement” with the $410B federal spending bill

C+     Expressing outrage over AIGs executive bonuses

A      Appearing as a guest on the Jay Leno show

B       Sending troops to the US/Mexican border to help contain the drug wars

C-      Buying the toxic assets of troubled banks to stimulate lending

A       Hosting an on-line, Internet town hall meeting

C+     Barring lobbying for specific projects within the stimulus plan

B       Launching a new effort to defeat terrorists in Pakistan & Afghanistan

A        Participating in global climate change talks after an 8 year absence

B        Ousting GM CEO and rejecting GM’s and Chrysler’s turnaround plans

B+      Signing the largest wilderness protection bill in a quarter-century

B        Conducting “town-hall’ style meetings in France and Turkey

B        Hosting a Passover Seder at the Whitehouse

A       Approving the operation to rescue US sea captain from Somali pirates

B+     Promising to halt the rise of piracy in the waters off of Somalia

B       Easing restrictions on money transfers and travel to Cuba

C+     Deciding not to prosecute Bush era CIA interrogators

C       Signing a bill to triple the size of the AmeriCorps service program

D       Reversing his decision to investigate CIA interrogation techniques

To be continued

© 2009 by Bob Rockwell