Poor George’s Almanac

2009: Today President Obama announces his first federal judge nominee; a man deemed “well qualified” by the American Bar Association (the ABA) .

Historically the ABA has been involved in both Republican and Democratic presidential administrations as they make judicial nominations.    The  Bush administration, however, did not seek out the wisdom of the widely respected ABA when selecting people for the federal bench.  Today President Obama restores the role of the ABA in this process.  Once again, the views of these experts in the legal field will be respected instead of ignored.

2009: President Obama ended eight years of stem-cell government research restrictions imposed by President Bush.  During the Bush years large numbers of Republicans and Democrats tried to overturn Bush’s stem-cell policies, but were rebuffed by Bush vetoes.   The Boston Globe quotes Douglas Melton of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, who says “The dark ages are now over for our lab.”   Obama vowed that research will be done “with the urgency required to make up for lost ground.”  Scientists have hopes for using stem-cells to cure a variety of debilitating human diseases.

For the thoughts of Nancy Reagan and other Republicans on Bush’s stem-cell policy click here.

2009: President Obama today vowed that his administration will “base our public policies on the soundest science . . . and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions.”  The Boston Globe quoted Dr. George Q. Daley, a stem cell biologist at Children’s Hospital in Boston as saying:   “To have the president stand up and assert that science should be free of ideology and politics . . . how can you not applaud that?”

The situation was very different in the Bush White House, where disagreeable or unpleasant scientific facts were often set aside or ignored for political reasons. Obama ordered the Office of Science and Technology Policy to formulate plans for “restoring scientific integrity to government decision-making.”

For some examples of Bush disrespecting the work of science click here.

2009: President Obama asserted today that he will not use signing statements to ignore laws passed by Congress because of policy disagreements.  Obama vowed to restore the decades-old use of signing statements, which is to identify those parts of passed laws that the president believes have constitutional problems. 

President Bush had taken signing statements to a new level, issuing more of them than all other presidents combined, angering both Democrats and Republicans.  The nation’s largest legal association,  the ABA, also strongly objected to Bush’s abuse of signing statements.

To read examples of President Bush abusing signing statements, click here.

2009: Two members of President Obama’s cabinet toured areas torn-up by Hurricane Katrina and vowed to speed rebuilding efforts, 3 1/2 years after the storm hit.  Republican Governor Bobby Jindal said “We’ve heard some encouraging words today”.   New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin noted the new signs of cooperation from the federal government, saying that in the past, “it was just like, blame the locals; they’re the problem”.  Nagin noted “more of a willingness to do a fix” now.

To read more about Bush Katrina mismanagement click here.

2009: President Obama appoints Florida emergency manager Craig Fugate to head the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) today.  Fugate, a Republican, has earned praise for his management of Florida’s response to hurricanes since 2001.  Former Florida governor Jeb Bush offered his support, saying “Kudos to President Obama for a great choice”. 

The Obama choice is in sharp contrast to Bush’s first choice for FEMA head, Joe Allbaugh, who had no emergency management experience (but was a Bush college buddy and a former Bush campaign manager).  Bush replaced Allbaugh with another unqualified FEMA head, Michael Brown (a.k.a. ‘Brownie’), whose ineptitude became clear during the Hurricane Katrina disaster.

Read more about President Bush’s FEMA leadership choices by clicking here .  Follow this link to read of FEMA mismanagement during the Bush years.

2009: President Obama, with John McCain at his side, announced an overhaul of the system for awarding contracts to vendors, increasing competition for the work, and limiting the use of no-bid contracts. Halliburton, a company Dick Cheney once lead, greatly benefited from no-bid contracts awarded during the Bush years.   Obama declared that “the days of giving government contractors a blank check are over”.

To read more on the esteemed treatment of Halliburton during the Bush years click here.

2009: President Obama reversed Bush policy and restored a requirement that US agencies consult with government experts to determine if a federal agencies plans might harm threatened or endangered species.   Bush thought it just fine that people who had no expertise in the matter make this determination.  Obama’s reversal of Bush’s policy restores a decades-only requirement that experts be consulted.

To read of Bush administration attempts to undermine protection for endangered species click here, and here,  and here.

2009: President Obama makes real his campaign promises to shake up Washington, as revealed in the hard facts of his recently submitted budget.  Obama’s budget reverses Bush era decisions that favored private interests over the public’s  interests. 

Explaining his choices, President Obama said today that the insurance companies won’t like having “to bid competitively to continue offering Medicare coverage, but that’s how we’ll help preserve and protect Medicare and lower health care costs.  I know that banks and big student lenders won’t like the idea that we’re ending their huge taxpayer subsidies, but that’s how we’ll save taxpayers nearly $50 billion and make college more affordable. I know that oil and gas companies won’t like us ending nearly $30 billion in tax breaks, but that’s how we’ll help fund a renewable energy economy.”

Added the president, ”The system we have now might work for the powerful and well-connected interests that have run Washington for far too long, but I don’t. I work for the American people.“  Obama admitted his path will be difficult: “I know these steps won’t sit well with the special interests and lobbyists who are invested in the old way of doing business, and I know they’re gearing up for a fight,” Obama said. “My message to them is this: So am I.”

While Obama works for the American people, click here  for some examples of who the Bush administration worked for.

2009: Defense Secretary Robert Gates announced today that the Pentagon will no longer automatically prohibit media coverage of the return to the US of the flag draped caskets of fallen military members.   The Bush administration had favored the media restriction (many believe showing the caskets could weaken public support for Bush’s war).  President Obama ordered Gates, who had also served in the Bush administration, to review the policy; Gates said the review “makes all kinds of sense”. 

Today Gates announced a reversal of Bush policy.   The decision on media coverage will now be made by the families involved.  Gates admitted that he was “never comfortable” with the  media ban.