Paolo Cozzi – 5/3/09

This page was last updated on May 4, 2009.

Obama has done much in 100 days; Paolo Cozzi; Beaver County Times; May 3, 2009.

Below is a detailed critique of the letter.

“I am responding to Thursday’s letter to the editor ‘What has Obama done in 100 days?’

“He has:

“-- Passed a stimulus package, including tax cuts for more than 90 percent of Americans.”

[RWC] Regarding the porkulus package, that’s been tried many times before and it never works over the long term.

Regarding the “tax cuts,” Mr. Cozzi needs to look more closely. Those “tax cuts” count as taxable income.

“-- Signed an executive order forbidding torture.”

[RWC] Mr. Cozzi may not know this, but we’ve had anti-torture laws on the books for a very long time.

“-- Begun the process of closing Guantanamo.”

[RWC] Mr. Obama only announced he would close Gitmo. Mr. Obama never told us where we would hold captured terrorists and other combatants captured on the battlefield.

“-- Gotten the budget passed.”

[RWC] Yeah, a Democrat president getting a Democrat-majority Congress to pass a budget that greatly increases spending ($3.6 trillion) had to be tough.

“-- Dealt with a sensitive situation involving pirates in Somalia.”

[RWC] Mr. Obama OK’d murdering three poor, black Somalis who were just looking for a way to lift themselves from poverty. Oh wait, that’s how the left would have responded, had President Bush done the same thing.

Here’s a question for Mr. Cozzi. Which is worse, killing three pirates who apparently hadn’t seriously hurt or killed anyone (at least in this incident) or using enhanced interrogation techniques on captured terrorists and illegal combatants? Is killing someone less offensive than what Mr. Cozzi considers “torture?”

“-- Visited our allies in Europe.”

[RWC] That was tough. Jump on Air Force One to meet with a bunch of politicians, most of whom hoped Mr. Obama would win, and then bashing your country when speaking to them. Also, the G20 and NATO summits, the impetuses for the trip, were not Mr. Obama’s doing. As President, Mr. Obama was pretty much obligated to attend.

“-- Visited Iraq.”

[RWC] Mr. Cozzi failed to note Mr. Obama was already next-door in Turkey on his European apology tour.

“-- Given our troops in Afghanistan more of the backup they will need to succeed.”

[RWC] Sorry, troop increases were already in the works.

“-- Started the process of getting health-care reform”

[RWC] Translation: Mr. Obama got us started further down the road to a government-run, taxpayer-funded healthcare monopoly.

“I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but with two wars, a potential pandemic, a broken health-care system and an economic crisis, I somehow overlooked the tobacco tax that Thursday’s letter writer apparently believes is the defining issue of this presidency.”