"Accomplishments?"

Next week is the State of the Union Address, the annual event at which the President speaks before Congress with a commentary of the previous years accomplishments and a presidential "shopping list" that will describe the agenda that the chief executive wishes to follow in the next twelve months. I'm not much of a fan of President Obama, not a surprise to most of you who read my commentaries, yet I'm quite interested in seeing what the President is going to ask for and what he believes his accomplishments were in the first year of his administration. Let's look at some of our previous chief executives achievements and see how Mr. Obama stacks up to his predecessors. Jack Kennedy, Cuban Missile Crisis, launched N.A.S.A.,lowered taxes, encouraged investments,and promoted higher education; not bad for a president who's life was stolen by a lunatic. Dwight D. Eisenhower, guided our nation through two recessions with minimal job loss followed by a period of great prosperity and growth, promoted a strong national defense, and firmly established the United States as the leader of the free world; considered one of the most likable men ever to hold the office of President. Richard M. Nixon, of course Watergate, yet he also established diplomatic break-throughs with the Peoples Republic of China, and the Soviet Union, gained a peaceful end to the war in Viet Nam, but unfortunately resigned in disgrace. Ronald Reagan, in some circles he is considered the greatest President we've ever had. He took our nation from the brink of economic collapse to prosperity, he forced the Soviet Union to tear down the Berlin Wall, his defense policy caused the collapse of the Soviet Union, and after a failed Carter administration he restored the United States to a position of respect and power around the world. William Jefferson Clinton, not a great President, but not horrible either, his accomplishments were minimal as we lost ground in the world market with the signing of N.A.F.T.A., cutting off American manufacturing at the knees causing numerous job losses, and allowing Osama Bin Laden to slip through his fingers. All in all not a stellar presidency. I won't even talk about Jimmy Carter, it's too painful! I realize I have capsulized the entire terms of the above Presidents and Mr. Obama has only been in office one year, so I will try to be as fair as I can in my assessment of his job performance thus far. Let's start out with his pledge to be a bi-partisan president, I have yet to see one bi-partisan act come from the Oval Office; the republicans have had zero input to any of this president's policies thus far. He pledged to be financially responsible, we are now in the greatest debt this nation has ever experienced. We now have a debt equivalent to all the debt of every previous administration added together, not very financially responsible by any stretch of the imagination. National defense has basically come to a halt under this president, nuclear threats from two rogue nations have been addressed by little to no response from the White House, giving an impression of weakness to all who oppose our nation. Transparency of government, wow, perhaps the biggest disappointment thus far from Barack Obama. His health-care program that was supposed to be totally constructed in full public view on C-Span; all done behind closed doors with no in-put from the republican party at all. All this in only twelve months. I can't wait to see what he has in mind for the next twelve months. If I were Barack Obama I would appear in front of Congress with a bag over my head, like the "Unknown Comic", he doesn't have much to cheer about. I'm curious as to the reception our President will receive when he walks into Congress next week, will it be overwhelming cheers or polite applause? Mr. Obama you may not be listening right now, but America isn't cheering!