Barack Obama is doing a decent job as president

I. Foreign PolicyForeign policy has always been a challnege for presidents since George Washington himself. Obama started out with good intentions - getting out of Iraq and Afghanistan and reining in the unnecessary bombs and drone strikes. But Obama has done virtually the opposite - drone strikes have increased to more than ever before, and Obama has bombed Libya, and is considering bombing Syria. I. A. EgyptObama has turned one of the more sympathetic nations in the Middle East against us: "Obama refrained from pushing former President Hosni Mubarak toward reform. [Rove saying] 'Mr. Obama then badly mismanaged the relationship with Mr. Mubarak's successor, Mohammed Morsi,'. .. And now, 'Egypt is engulfed in chaos'"[1]But the problem goes further than this: "As today’s events make gruesomely clear, our supposed leverage with the Egyptian military is a fiction. But we’ve also destroyed whatever limited influence we may have had with the Brotherhood. "[2]I. B. SyriaNow the focus of an ever-escalating debate on whether or not Obama should intervene in Syria, it is clear that Obama is attempting to take the wrong road and intervene in Syria. The only reasonable excuse to intervene is to institute a regime change. However, nowhere in the Constitution is that the Federal Government's job. There are no benefits, and many potential costs, such as higher oil prices, a debt crisis, and even World War III if we do end up bombing Syria. [3]"The Syrian people have a sovereign right to decide their own destiny without outside interference. Their civil war is an internal struggle that will have to be decided for themselves. As much as Americans want to believe otherwise our values are not universal. It is one thing if a majority of people are clamoring for democracy and are being denied it by forces far outside of their control, it is another thing to intervene and force American values on a nation that clearly is torn over the issue. We have no right to pick sides. "[4]I. C. LibyaThe attack in Benghazi on 9/11 in 2012 was one of the most appalling displays the Obama Administration has ever presented. Not only did the administration set up the attack (indirectly through reduced defense measures), but they also refused calls for support - twice. Not only where were troops stationed in bases throughout the Mediterranean that could have gotten there in time before the attack was over, there was a rapid response team armed and ready to attack, but their request to attack was denied. [5][6]What was Obama doing during all of this? "Presumably he went to sleep in order to prepare for his long day of fundraising in Las Vegas the following day. "[5] Because of his actions, several brave people lost their lives, two of which attempted to save the diplomat and who requested support; but of course, they were denied. The Benghazi scandal is not just a black mark on his record. It is a horrid example of the lack of care Obama has for this country. I. D. Conclusion "President Obama’s Middle East policy began with good intentions. However, it has been dangerously incompetent. Drone strikes have incited the region. He removed an American ally in Egypt and stabilizing force in Libya resulting in the first major terror strike against America since 911. His callous disregard of Israel and aloofness on Iran is irresponsible. In 2012, the Arab world burns in Obama’s wake. "[7] II. Environmental Policy II. A. Investment in Bad CompaniesSolyndra, Ener1, and Beacon Power all got millions of dollars (in the case of Solyndra, $535 million) from the Obama administration. All three went bankrupt. Or Sempra. It received $42 million from the government. The plant currently operates with about 5 full time employees. That is $10.8 million of government subsidies per worker. [8][9][10][11]II. B. No Investment in Good ProjectsObama has postponed a decision on the Keystone Pipeline, even though it has no major environmental hazards ([12]), and it will create:"An independent study estimates that during the life of the project, the Keystone XL project is expected to stimulate: More than $20 billion in new spending for the U. S. economy More than 118,000 person-years of employment An increase of $6.5 billion in the personal income of Americans Increased gross output (product) of $9.6 billion More than $585 million in state and local taxes in the states along the pipeline route. 'This project will also play an important role in linking a secure and growing supply of Canadian crude oil with the largest refining markets in the United States, significantly improving North American energy security,'added Girling. "[13] II. C. Terrible Upward Spiral in Gas PricesUltimately, Obama implemented a horrific policy for gas. In fact, there has been a 100% increasein gas prices since his inauguration. Heck, even Energy Secretary Steven Chu himself said, "Somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe. "Obama has been both directly and indirectly influencing the price of gas by: "Obama actions to limit onshore and offshore oil extraction; his blocking of the Keystone XL Pipeline; his dislike of clean coal and fracking for clean natural gas; his refusal to build new refineries; his refusal to permit new nuclear power plants; and his refusal to limit the burden on refineries to boost production by limiting the number of gas blends and a foreign policy of weakness and appeasement in the Middle East. "[14]III. Economic PolicyIf only one thing could be a testament to the failure of Obama and his policies, it should be his economic policy. This recovery has easily been the slowest post-WWII recession recovery in American history. III. A. Unemployment Let's look at the job numbers of various post-WWII presidents: "- 6,425,000 jobs gained in the 29 months following the end of the steep and long 1975 recession (221,551 monthly average) - 8,280,000 jobs gained in the 29 months following the end of the seep and long 1982 recession. (285,517 monthly average)- 2,584,000 jobs gained in the 29 months following the end of the short and lite 1991 recession. (89,103 monthly average). "[3]As for Obama:"215,000 jobs gained in the 29 months following the end of the 2009 recession. (41,896 monthly average)"[15]Obama's monthly average is less than half the lowest of the three previous recessions, and almost 1/8 as much as Reagan's 29-month recovery. Here is a graph illustrating this point: [16]III. B. GDP Growth A graph showing GDP growth shows the same, slow, story. "Anderson noted that over the past 65 years, since World War II, America has experienced 10 previous recessions and 10 previous recoveries. He reports that average real GDP growth in the first three years after those recessions was 4.6%. In sharp contrast, 'During the Obama recovery…, average real GDP growth has been just 2.2% — less than half the historical norm. Of the past 11 recoveries, the Obama recovery has been the worst. '"[17] "America's gross domestic product — the broadest measure of economic output — grew 6.8 percent from the April-June quarter of 2009 through the same quarter this year, the slowest in the first three years of a postwar recovery. GDP grew an average of 15.5 percent in the first three years of the eight other comebacks analyzed. "[18]Here is a graph showing this: [19]ConclusionOverall, Obama has not done a decent job as president. His foreign policy has been a dismal failure and his economic actions are steering this country off a cliff. In the next round, I will refute my opponent's argument and introduce a few new arguments. Also, if my opponent will have one, I'll have one political cartoon per round: Sources [1]: . http://www.newsmax.com...[2]: . http://www.newsmax.com...[3]: . http://www.archives.gov...[4]: . http://www.conservativepolitico.org...[5]: . http://communities.washingtontimes.com...-/[6]: . http://www.cnn.com...[7]: . http://www.examiner.com...[8]: . http://en.wikipedia.org...[9]: . http://en.wikipedia.org...[10]: . http://en.wikipedia.org...[11]: . http://nevadajournal.com...[12]: . http://www.platteinstitute.org...[13]: . http://www.pipeline-news.com...[14]: . http://www.policymic.com...[15]: . http://www.americanthinker.com...[16]: . http://summiteconomics.com...; [17]: . http://www.forbes.com...[18]: . http://news.yahoo.com...[19]: . http://www.investorsinsight.com...;