Obama Agenda Overload

This week, President Obama confronted the nay-sayers of his progressive budget:

The American people don’t have the luxury of just focusing on Wall Street. They don’t have the luxury of choosing to pay their mortgage or their medical bills. They don’t get to pick between paying their kids’ college tuition or saving enough money for retirement.

They have to do all these things. They have to confront all these problems. And as a consequence, so do we.

Obama states the obvious that only focusing on the economy (and AIG) is impossible for a successful president, and he’s clearly inherited a bevy of domestic and international issues to address.  He could try to handle them one-by-one, but since the World won’t wait, he should probably start fixing all of them…right…about…now:

• War in Iraq — As we spoon-feed responsibility to the Iraqis in accordance with the agreed-upon mandate, things are improving, right?
• War in Afghanistan — The new administration’s most seasoned veteran of U.S.-Afghan engagement (and I don’t mean just since 9/11), Defense Secretary Robert Gates, is telling everyone who will listen about the complicated difficulties of solidarity in Afghanistan.
• Military presence in Kosovo — Yes, we’re still there, with some criticism that we are using our bases as a European Guantanamo.
• Resurgent Taliban in Pakistan — The tribal regions and Swat Valley in northwest Pakistan are essentially under Taliban control.
• Potential failure of nuclear state in Pakistan – Due to (1) the resurgent Taliban, (2) a history of mistrust between the President, Army, and the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI, the Pakistani CIA), (3) the current political unrest (resignation of President Pervez Musharraf last year, the assassination of his likely replacement Benazir Bhutto, and the election a questionable leader in Bhutto’s widower Asif Ali Zardari), and (4) a destructive paranoia of all things India, there is significant concern of Pakistan’s viability as an independent state and that an extremist organization (read: the Taliban) may gain control of their nuclear arsenal.
• Potential failure of Shiite-controlled Iraqi government — Ever since Paul Bremer’s de-Ba’athification of Iraqi politics and society and the near boycott of initial elections by Sunnis, questions have lingered whether a Shiite-dominated parliament can maintain popular support once the Americans “leave” the country.  Recent elections might actually provide some insight into future of Sunni political power.
• Guantonamo — Close the base?  Sure.  What to do with the prisoners?  Umm…not as easy.
• Darfur — As a genocide goes unrecognized by the Sudanese government and undeterred by the United Nations’ bureaucratic futility, will our country’s first African-American president be willing to pressure China to help end Africa’s most publicized crisis?
• Iran — Bush labeled them “evil“, McCain wanted to “Bomb, bomb” them and Obama welcomes them to the table.  Are they our worst nightmare or a stabilizing force in the turbulent Middle East?
• Israeli-Hamas Conflict — The demands from each side may be both historically justified and in direct conflict, so can another Camp David meeting with an American president solve anything?  Probably not, but…got any better ideas?
• Al Qaeda — With bin Laden in control or not, the extremist organization is still alive and thriving.
• No attacks on U.S. soil — Perhaps the only unquestionable success of President Bush is that there have been no major terrorist attacks within our borders since 9/11.  While we can question the means to how this was acheived, Obama must recognize that he’s not going to be allowed any mulligans and that any failure in this area would doom his presidency.  And if the pressure wasn’t high enough already, he’s got this guy salivating at the opportunity to title his memoirs “I Told You So”.
• New Secretary of Defense — Robert Gates is the best inheritance from the Bush Administration and is worthy of the job, but it remains to be seen if his world-view is in line with Obama, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, or CIA Director Leon Panetta.
• Domestic spying — Wielded openly by Bush and Vice President Cheney as necessary in the War on Terror, will Obama carry on these quasi-illegal activities or will he please the masses by removing this tool from the presidential arsenal?  This is a constant sticking point in the freedom v. security debate.
• Constitutional basis for advancement of presidential power? – Cheney, David Addington and John Yoo played the most significant roles in advancing executive branch powers since 9/11, but with a former whistleblower appointed to head the Department of Justice, Obama appears willing to concede some of the Bush Administration’s questionable Constitutional justifications.
• Recession – You can’t turn on the news anymore without hearing about the “worst financial crisis” since the Great You Know What, but can Obama’s stimulus package right the ship or should we just take our medicine and ride this thing out?
• China — We spend and they save.  We want low-priced products and they swallow our industry.  Are we already too far in to get out from under the potential world power of the 21st century?
• Deficit spending  and the rising national debt – With balanced budgets under President Clinton seemingly a lifetime away from D.C.’s current corporate shopping spree, are we destined for complete foreign ownership or will we find out President Reagan was correct and deficits just don’t matter?
• Rising unemployment — Unemployment is at its highest rate in 16 years (8.1%) and some economists estimate the rate will max out around 10%.  Now would probably be a good time to dust off that resume and invest in a new suit.
• Industry nationalization and bailouts — The government has purchased equity stakes in a large number of banks and lending institutions, the auto industry received their unexpected share of help, and the American people are waiting for their personal bailout.  Who should be salvaged and who will be left to fail?
• Mortgage crisis — With thousands of upside-down ARM loans resetting in the next few years, the mortgage crisis has yet to hit its peak.  Will lenders be willing to renegotiate terms or will Obama play hardball to keep people in their homes?
• Health care — The costs of employee-based health care plans continue to increase while the coverage appears to be getting worse.  Is universal health care the answer or can we learn a few things from the mistakes and successes experienced overseas?
• Tax policy — Republicans were quivering at claims of Obama’s redistribution of wealth plans, but the economic downturn is having the largest impact on his tax policy.  Step one: Extend the Bush tax cuts or maintain campaign promises of lowering taxes for 95% of the country? We have an answer.

Obviously this is only a list of the high-visibility issues and Obama will have to handle far more, but if he can resolve all of these effectively and maintain a campaign promise or two, the White House should start filling out his canonization application just prior to his second term. 

- Matt

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