Obama Report Card

Health Care:  D+. Health care reform was supposed to be the trademark of Obama's presidency, and it doesn't look like a bill concerning it will be passing in Congress any time soon.  There has been passionate resistance to a public health care option, as evidenced by the angry town hall meetings across America on the subject.  Even supporters of this reform can see that all the efforts to bring about health care reform have failed so far.  This is not to say that they will continue to fail, but I think it will be very difficult for Obama to pass a health care reform bill capable of fulfilling all his campaign promises with such fiery resistance to such a prospect.

Economic Downturn: D-.  Spending money that we don't have will not revive the economy.  Obama's massive stimulus package has done nothing to curb unemployment, which is now nearing 10%.  He is simply leaving the next generation a massive debt to deal with.  The economy is cyclical and will revive eventually, but Obama is not helping by spending such massive amounts of money that have only a minor positive impact on the economy. 

War on Terror: C.  First off, Obama's attempt to change the name of the War on Terror to "Overseas Contingency Operation" is a needless, stupid political move.  We are in a war against terrorism, of all kinds, and should not be afraid to admit it.  I do not agree with Obama's decision to remove troops from Iraq--that nation is still not stable, and withdrawing now leaves a chaotic state that could easily turn into a breeding ground for terrorists.  Now that he has removed these troops, however, I fully agree with the decision to send more troops to Afghanistan.  We must win this war.  The potential for terrorist activity in the Middle East, particularity Afghanistan, is too high to cease military involvement there now.

Overall: D+.  So far, I have not seen any major improvements under the Obama administration.  I even think his handling of the economic downturn has made the situation worse in the long term.  It is still early in Obama's presidency, and I truly hope that he does great things for our country, but based on his campaign promises and progress so far I'm hard pressed to see this happening.