By Jessica Hopper, Subrata De and Tim Uehlinger
Rock Center
President Barack Obama describes the killing of Osama bin Laden as the “most important single day” of his presidency and said that the decision to carry out the raid was one that he had to ultimately make alone.
“I did choose the risk,” the president said in an exclusive interview with Rock Center Anchor and Managing Editor Brian Williams. “The reason I was willing to make that decision of sending in our SEALs to try to capture or kill bin Laden rather than to take some other options was ultimately because I had 100 percent faith in the Navy SEALs themselves.”
A year after the May 1, 2011, raid on bin Laden’s compound, Obama and several of the advisers who helped plan the operation, known as “Operation Neptune’s Spear,” spoke exclusively to NBC News, reflecting on the tense months spent planning and debating the feasibility of this daring raid. The interviews occurred before the president made an unannounced visit to Kabul on Tuesday, where he and President Hamid Karzai signed an agreement on the future of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan.
“This had to be such a close-held operation,” the president said. “There were only a handful of staff in the White House who knew about this.”
The president did not share news of the mission’s launch with his staff, or with the first lady.
“Even a breath of this in the press could have chased bin Laden away,” Obama said. “We didn't know at that point whether there might be underground tunnels coming out of that compound that would allow him to escape.”
The killing of the 9/11 mastermind had been years in the making, a mission that Obama’s two predecessors had been unable accomplish. President Bill Clinton fired 75 cruise missiles trying to kill bin Laden while President George W. Bush was frustrated by the al-Qaeda leader’s ability to evade capture.
The lead
After years of hunting bin Laden, the Central Intelligence Agency got its biggest break in late 2010.
Helmed by then CIA Director Leon Panetta, the agency identified the home of bin Laden’s courier in the upscale town of Abbottabad, not far from Pakistan’s capital, Islamabad. Satellites revealed someone else living at the same compound: a tall man walking in the courtyard that analysts dubbed “The Pacer.”
“Ultimately it was a 50/50 proposition as to whether this was actually bin Laden,” Obama said.
He and his advisers, including Vice President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, hammered out the possibilities.
Clinton said that she was brought into the process in January 2011 when a series of intensive meetings began in the White House Situation Room, or “Sit Room.”
In March of 2011, the president ordered Admiral William McRaven, then commander of Joint Special Operations, to outline a possible raid on the suspected bin Laden compound.
“I remember the moment in the Sit Room with General McRaven,” Clinton said, “and, you know, someone said, ‘Well, this sounds really dangerous and we’re going to expose our guys and what do we know is going to happen?’ And he said, ‘Well, with all due respect, we’ve done this hundreds of times.’”
In fact, the night bin Laden was killed, Special Forces carried out several other missions in the region.
“What may not be known is in addition to this operation that night, this specific one, there were multiple operations just like this going on in Afghanistan,” said retired Admiral Mike Mullen, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. “Some of them actually more difficult than the one that got bin Laden. And when I say more difficult, I don't think higher strategic risk, certainly not more important, but physically more difficult, more dangerous than the one that our great Special Forces executed.”
The dress rehearsal
The plan to raid the compound in Abbottabad developed rapidly and by April 21, 2011, Admiral Mullen attended a dress rehearsal in the Nevada desert.
“When I actually went to the rehearsal and watched it at night at a place where they built a compound just like Abbottabad and watched it in execution, that just gave me great confidence that they could execute this,” Mullen said.
He met every member of the SEAL Team Six that would ultimately carry out the mission.
“I got to look each of them in the eye. They showed me in their execution of rehearsal and also in that steely-eyed glare that they give you that they were ready to go,” Mullen said.
Some of the men weren’t yet aware who they were preparing to attack, but Mullen’s presence signaled that they were going after a high-value target.
“They knew certainly how critical this was. They knew who they were and who they were working with,” he said. “They may not even have known it was bin Laden at that point, but I'm sure they suspected it.”
One week later, it looked like weather conditions in Pakistan would be perfect for the raid — a moonless night with clear skies. If the raid didn’t happen that night, it could be months before weather conditions would be appropriate again for this high-risk operation.
Making the decision
Armed with the confidence that the Special Forces could carry out the mission, it was decision time. So on Thursday, April 28, 2011, the president gathered his advisers in the Situation Room, located below ground level in the White House.
“There was no consensus,” Biden said. “The president on the last day got us all down in the Situation Room and he said, ‘Okay, it’s basically a roll call.’”
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates recommended an air strike with no forces on the ground. CIA Director Panetta supported a raid by Special Forces and so did Secretary of State Clinton. Vice President Biden wanted to wait on further proof that bin Laden was indeed in the compound.
“It was never contentious because I think everybody understood both the pros and cons of the action,” Obama said. “People who were advocating action understood that if this did not work, if we proved to be wrong, there would be severe geopolitical consequences and obviously most importantly, we might be putting our brave Navy SEALs in danger.”
During the meeting, the president never indicated which way he was leaning. After the discussion, he dismissed his team and said he’d have a decision in the morning. He had dinner with his family and then went to his study after his wife and daughters went to bed.
“Well, there is no doubt that you don't sleep as much that evening as you do on a normal night,” the president said. “I stayed up late and I woke up early.”
The next morning, in the Diplomatic Room of the White House, he told his national security advisers that the mission was a go.
“You have some serenity in knowing that you've made the best possible decision that you can and, you know, in that situation you just, you do some praying,” Obama said.
A trio of national security advisers – John Brennan, Tom Donilon and Denis McDonough – had prepared briefing points for the president, but it was clear his mind was made up.
“My recollection is that he said, ‘It’s a go, we’re going to do the assault. We’re going to do the raid. Complete the orders, let’s go,’” said Donilon.
Keeping the Secret
In order to not raise suspicions, the president and his advisers had to keep up their weekend plans.
Secretary Clinton said she faced an awkward question at a wedding for one of her daughter’s friends.
“It was so ironic,” she said. “All these smart young people who work in all kinds of enterprises, one of them came up and said, ‘Do you think we’ll ever get bin Laden?’ I said, ‘I don’t know. I have no way of knowing, but I can tell you this, we’ll keep trying.’”
She also hid the raid from her husband.
“This was such an important secret to keep,” she said. “No one in the State Department knew. “I just felt a personal responsibility to keep it close, but that meant that I was basically, you know, having to consult with myself, to be honest.”
Moments after giving the go-ahead for the raid, the president and the first lady boarded Marine One on a trip to inspect tornado damage in Tuscaloosa, Ala. And on Saturday night – the evening before the raid – he attended the White House Correspondents’ Dinner and chuckled when a joke about bin Laden was made by comedian Seth Meyers.
“That was a little bit of acting going on there because my mind was elsewhere,” he said.
National Security Advisor Donilon said that when he left the White House Correspondents’ Dinner early, a reporter asked why he was leaving before the event concluded.
“I got this thing tomorrow,” Donilon said as offhandedly as he could.
The raid
On Sunday, May 1, 2011, the president’s advisers gathered in the Situation Room at around 11 a.m. Half a world away, the SEAL team waited for nightfall.
So as not to arouse suspicion that a major gathering was under way in the West Wing, the team ordered pizza from several different places and also sent someone to Costco to get food.
The president played nine holes of golf at Andrews Air Force Base before heading to the Situation Room at around 2 p.m.
“It is one of those rare moments when you know that the man you’re watching is putting everything on the line,” Biden said. “Everything on the line. Not only risking the lives of these incredible, incredible warriors, but also knowing that if he’s wrong about this man, he’s going to pay a very, very high price for it.”
At around 2:30 p.m., word arrived that the first wave of helicopters had left Jalalabad, Afghanistan, for Abbottabad with Navy SEALs, a Pakistani-American translator and a service dog named Cairo. At the president’s request, two Chinook helicopters stayed close by with additional SEALs as backup.
“They were accustomed to operating in the dark,” Obama said. “They were accustomed to landing in the compounds where they weren’t sure what was behind closed doors. These guys were all trained to do that.”
“A lot of them had as much gray hair as you and me and, you know, if you had passed them on the street, you might have – and if they were in civilian clothes – you might have thought they were accountants or doctors or, you know, worked at Home Depot.”
After the mission started, the CIA provided audio and video of the raid in real time in a smaller room next to the Situation Room. The atmosphere, said Admiral Mullen, was tense.
Soon, the president and his advisers began crowding into the room where the video was being played, which was never meant to hold as many people as it did that day. Brigadier General Marshall “Brad” Webb was receiving and interpreting information from the mission. Never expecting Obama to come in the room, he was sitting in the chair intended for the president.
“He started to get up and people were starting to go through the protocol and figuring out how to rearrange things,” the president said. “I said, ‘You don’t worry about it. You just focus on what you’re doing. I’m sure we can find a chair and I’ll sit right next to him.’ And that’s how I ended up (on a) folding chair.”
The group watched the hazy, but intelligible images and gasped when the first helicopter’s rotor stopped turning and it suddenly dropped, crashing over a stone wall.
“That helicopter didn’t make it to the right spot and everyone went, like, ‘Whoa,’” Biden said.
Obama remembers seeing the Secretary of State cover her mouth with her hand.
“It was just the shock of the moment,” Clinton said. “It was, I mean, all of us sitting there, and I would even predict probably our military and defense colleagues, you know, for a minute were kind of holding that breath again.”
The mishap was blamed on a bad downdraft and unusually warm temperatures, which can affect lift and maneuverability. The president called it a “touch and go moment.”
“The only thing that I was thinking about throughout this entire enterprise was, ‘I really want to get those guys back home safe,’” he added. “I want to make sure that the decision I’ve made has not resulted in them putting their lives at risk in vain, and if I got that part of it right, if I could look myself in the mirror and say as commander in chief I made a good call.”
Back inside the Situation Room, the loss of a helicopter didn’t make any difference in Admiral McRaven's monotone play-by-play voice, beamed in from Afghanistan.
“Did not miss a beat. He is a cool customer,” said Obama.
Clinton recalled watching the SEALs leave the helicopters.
“We could see our guys moving,” she said. “It was an intense experience for all of us because it was real time, visually, until we lost the visual connection inside the building.”
The SEALs had moved inside the compound with their body armor, weapons and night vision.
“At this point, I think all of us understand that we’re a long way to go before the night is done,” Obama said. “And, you know, I’ve said this was the longest 40 minutes of my life.”
As the SEALs moved inside, the national security team listened for “Geronimo,” the code name for bin Laden.
“We knew that was the call sign and when we heard that, they felt they had identified Geronimo, that was the first moment, and then Geronimo KIA,” the president said.
Several members of the president’s national security team told NBC News that there were provisions in place to take bin Laden alive.
“But we also understood that it was not likely that he was going to be giving himself up in that way,” Obama said, “and that there was a strong possibility that he would end up being killed if in fact he was in the compound.”
Along with precision and planning, prayer played a role for some of the president’s closest advisers. Vice President Biden and Admiral Mullen both nervously spun rosary rings on their fingers as they received word that the body of the man they believed was bin Laden had been put on a helicopter with U.S. forces.
“We knew the mission had been successful in that bin Laden was on board, but then it was an hour flight back,” Biden said.
Biden had begun to put his rosary away when he felt a tap on his shoulder from Mullen.
“I leaned down," Mullen explained. "I said, ‘Mr. Vice President, not yet. Keep it going because as important as killing, capturing or killing bin Laden was, it was more important to get him out.’ And so we were a long way, even as we got bin Laden, his body in that helicopter, we were a long way from completing that mission at that point.”
The death photo
When the SEAL team made it safely back to Afghanistan, photos were transmitted to the president and his team to offer photographic proof that bin Laden was dead.
When asked about seeing the picture of bin Laden, who had been shot in the head, the president took a long pause.
“I think it’s wrong to say that I did a high five,” he said, “because you have a picture of a dead body and, you know, there’s I think regardless of who it is, you always have to be sober about death. But understanding the satisfaction for the American people, what it would mean for 9/11 families, what it would mean for the children of folks who died in the Twin Towers who never got to know their parents, I think there was a deep-seated satisfaction for the country at that moment.”
Secretary Clinton believes strongly that the president was right not to release the photos.
“I looked at them,” she said. “Obviously, (it's) never easy to see any dead body, but it was part of the job. I think we made the right decision not to sensationalize this, not to desecrate it, so to speak. His body was flown to a Navy ship. It was given a proper Islamic burial at sea and I think that we handled it exactly right.”
After the president and his team felt confident that bin Laden was indeed dead, they began calling Cabinet members, Congressional leaders and foreign heads of state.
The president called Bill Clinton and George W. Bush.
“I think it was an important symbol of who we are as a people,” he said of the calls. “We get into these partisan fights, administrations come and go, but there’s a certain continuity about who we are and what we care about and what our values are.”
For Mullen, one of the most important calls placed was to his Pakistani military counterpart about the crashed helicopter.
When the first pictures of the wreckage emerged hours later, aviation websites went wild. The crashed chopper appeared to be proof of a stealth version of the Blackhawk that the United States had been rumored to be developing for years. Its noise-reducing technology and unique fin had been designed for near silent, invisible operation. In coming days, neighborhood children picked through pieces of what had been among the military's best kept secrets.
“I called General [Ashfaq Parvez] Kayani in Pakistan,” Mullen said. “I felt obligated to let him know what had happened … and then part of that conversation was about the helicopter and I said, ‘We need that back.’”
As more calls were made, the news began to leak, spread at lightning speed by the Internet. The president and his advisers, however, were unaware that throngs of young people were pouring into Lafayette Park to cheer outside the White House.
“The thing that surprised me that night and I don’t think we had planned for was the public reaction,” Donilon said. “We walked out and we could hear the noise and I remember very clearly turning to whoever was walking next to me saying, ‘What is that?’”
Secretary Clinton described it as an “astonishing moment.”
“We could hear this roar. We had no idea what it was,” she said. “Then all of a sudden we were able to decipher, 'U.S.A., U.S.A.'”
Telling his family
Before the president heard the cheering crowds and addressed the nation, he checked in with the first lady.
“She’s at dinner," he said. "I let her know, you know, that I’m probably going to miss dinner because I’ve got a few other things going on tonight. It turns out we had a fairly important thing to announce.”
He recalled telling his daughters that bin Laden was dead.
“Malia and Sasha, I think, were too young to fully absorb 9/11. On the other hand, they’ve grown like all our children have grown up in the shadow of 9/11 and terrorism and understood who Osama bin Laden was.”
The president said that the full impact of the mission hit him a few days later when he met the SEALs who had carried out the operation. He said that he gave the pilot of the helicopter that crashed a “pretty good hug.”
“They presented me with the flag that had gone on that mission, signed by all of them on the back and I think it’s fair to say that will probably be the most important possession that I leave with from this presidency,” he said.
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Interesting that the capture of BIN LADEN is such a topic of conversation now, soooooooooo
CLOSE to an ELECTION !
Gee what a coincidence !
Eat your heart out creeps, Obama got bin Laden, Bush got a noogie! LOL
You might also note that it is on the first anniversary of his success! Nit would have crapped in his pants. LOL
WOW - shocking that we commemorate an event on the anniversary of when it actually happened!!! Perhaps using your idiotic logic, we should mark 9/11 in March because September is REALLY close to the elections in November!!!
Just Obama reducing the competition.
OBAMA - Done in One
Eliza, Had the mission failed would it be a big issue now? GOPers always try to down play Obama's successes.
Obama gave the order to go and get OBL Navy Seals Team 6 did the job...Give credit to Obama for giving to order,,,and credit to Navy Seals Team 6 for nailing him...Obama did not get OBL!
Who would have gotten blame if the mission had fails? Have Mr. Carter gotten blamed all the time for the failed rescued mission?
This guy is unbelievable. Are we going to hear about this in the media for the next year?? Enough already ... Barry, you really didn't do a freakin thing except watch the Seals do what they are trained to do. If you take a really good sh!t, are we going to hear about that for a couple of weeks, also??? This guy is so insecure, it's really sad.
No... only until the political race is over. Its obvious why he's doing an interview a whole year later.
I'm just wondering what happened to the more current news report regarding the bomb plot by OWS nuts.....gee, doesn't seem to be important to MSNBC. Corrupt!
Excellent opinion page article in yesterday's WSJ (Tues - 5/1/2012). No president should EVER take credit for what our armed services has done. Specifically, "Seal Team Six" in this case. A year ago, it was "too sensitive" to release pictures - - but a year later (today) it's okay to take a presidential politics "victory lap" and tout what others did as a great accomplishment of their own. The "present" president must not be re-elected; not only is his ego too large - he has not accomplished anything.
Lyin' Brian and the Marxist. The BS piled up so high ya needed wings to stay above it.
Isn't this the same seal team that this president chastised and threatened with punishment just months prior due to their actions in a combat assignment in Iraq? How quickly he forgets and is willing to take credit for their success when it enhances his political resume.
That is the difference between a wanna be boss and a real one. You have to meet out discipline when needed and give credit when earned! LOL You right wing propagandists are so easy to make fun of.
PS, Neither Dubya nor Nit would have the balls to do what Obama did. AND, he gave the credit to the team that did the hit! MORONS!
Are you F'ing kidding me? What Balls? He said TWO WORDS! He did NOTHING! Just like the rest of his Presidency. And no, I don't think Bush was any better. He too was worthless!
I thought deciding whether or not to put Bo on the dinner menu was.
Another important and intelligent post from the right wing nut case! It has become increasingly clear that NOBODY in the Retardican Party is capable of serving as POTUS! What do incompetents do when they realize that? They start calling the guy with the guts to do the job a loser!
You are going down chumps, although you don't have far to drop before you hit the bottom, you used up all the extra room supporting Bush!
We'll see in 188 days. The trash talk will end. It's the economy stupid. 8% unemployment (15% real unemployment) will determine who the next president will be. The body of Osama won't matter much. If I am Bo, I would be careful when Obama looks at me and licks his chops.
Yeah, the Dem's are all upset that Mitt put his dog on top of his car, but they look the other way when O has fur in his teeth.
And Water Boarding is inhuman?
I think they keep bringing this up to try and derail the American people from the agreement Obumbum just made with Afghanistan. If we stay on this, he can slide and slither more of his garbage through the cracks.
You mean the 10 year extension of our occupation of Afghanistan...you mean that one? And all the while the party loyalist on these pages continue to call the war over in Afghanistan. Funny how some will point to Bush declaring "mission accomplished" and yet ignore the same tactic by Obama and Clinton in Afghanistan.
Bush didn't accomplish any more than Obama. They are both Left Wing Idiots. Oops, did I hurt your feelers?
not sure.. it was Obama who called the war in Afghanistan as the real war on terror, it was Obama who wanted a greater focus on this war, so get you story straight.
Go ahead Mr President take your victory lap. OK done. Now let's get that umemployment number down below 6% and reduce the debt.
Yep... the unemployment percentage was another one of his broken promises.
Hey, sucks, if you have any interest in truth, take a look at what the Retardicans were saying as Obama came into office. They said unemployment will definitely be in the high 20's. Guess what, it's not!
Good job Mr President! The rational part of the American electorate will give you another 4 years to clean the mess left from the last screwup and we will give you a Congress that is not made up of a bunch of children with drool rags around their necks who cannot say the word "YES!".
tex,
You do realize that Obama admitted lying about the millions of shovel-ready jobs after the fact and then joked about it on the Today Show.
tex2c,
Actually the unemployment is only based on those people still in the system while unemployment among 23-25 year old college graduates is at 53%. In other words the claim of 20% is quite true today when you consider all the factors including those who want to work but can not find work. I am glad you have a job as a paid troll here other people would love to eat on what you earn.
You lack the ability to reason and comprehend the complete picture. Not so surprising since you sold out to party propaganda at the expense of your fellow American citizens.
You are neither rational, reasonable or comprehending of the real issues. But that will not prevent your right to vote and keep making the same mistakes that got us here in the first place. That is the definition of insanity by the way...just so you know.
Hey Tex, the name is OurGovSucks! I AM typing the truth! Stop listening to your propaganda machine. By the way, I'm not a Retardicans. I now know your're a DemF$%# though.
Easiest decision any president in history had to make, to get Osama Bin Laden or let him go??? Well Clinton made the wrong decision in the 90's Obama wasn't going to make that same mistake. To easy!
Easiest decision in history, really, why don't you ask Clinton about Somalia, or Rwanda, or Carter about the hostage rescue, or Bush about ignoring the problem because it was to hard. The decision was not to go or not to go, the decisions was to bomb the place, missile strike, daylight raid with Pakistan's backup, or to go after the target on our own, at night, on the ground. Hate him all you want for whatever reasons you have, but if you are not man enough to give him credit for what he has does right, your other opinions mean nothing.
Sounds like election bs to me what else has he done or yea high unemployment,forclosers,no jobs yea I'd say good work
Of course it is.
Jose Rodriguez
Did those seals get the girls afterward? and were they no charge in Pakistan? or are we like the Vietnam issue waiting to see how may children will be coming over for adoption, like the 600,000 "made" in Vietnam? Those kids are now 40-45 years old!--It is incredible that you never hear about this! And then we have a small insident in Columbia, with some of the higher brawney ones, I wonder how many kids were made?!!
He did not have to worry about the Seals, it was the US "Intelligence" community and their information which would be scary. Remember the alleged biological weapons in Iraq (mis)information which caused that debacle .
I'll give Obama credit for giving the go-ahead to take out OBL...But what else has he done? Not much. The health care reform which got rammed down our throats is wrong, as we the citizens never got any input into the bill..It creates more government control than ever before, and who is going to pay for the homeless, the welfare folks, and those who are exempt? He campaigned on an open administration, but never said what year or decade. He campaigned on less goverment, so why the Czars and why the group who is to deciede if you get health treatment or not? The Pres recently signed into law the Federal Resticted Buildings and Grounds Improvement Act of 2011 whihch violates the 1st amendment, as you cannot be it peaceful, protest or demonstrate near any person who has secret service protection. by violating this law you can be charged with a felony, which means 2 things, the first is your time in jail will be a minimum of 1 year and 1 day, and 2nd your life is ruined because you have a felony conviction.
What follows is a PARTIAL list of Obama's accomplishments so far. Unlike many such lists, there is a link to a citation supporting every single one.
Legislative Prowess
Despite the characterizations of some, Obama’s success rate in winning congressional votes on issues was an unprecedented 96.7% for his first year in office. Though he is often cited as superior to Obama, President Lyndon Johnson’s success rate in 1965 was only 93%.
Fiscal Responsibility
Within days after taking office, he signed an Executive Order ordering an audit of government contracts, and combating waste and abuse.
Created the post of Chief Performance Officer, whose job it is to make operations more efficient to save the federal government money.
On his first full day, he froze White House salaries.
He appointed the first Federal Chief Information Officer to oversee federal IT spending.
He committed to phasing out unnecessary and outdated weapons systems, and also signed the Weapons Systems Acquisition Reform Act to stop waste, fraud and abuse in the defense procurement and contracting system.
Through an executive order, he created the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.
Improving the Economy, Preventing Depression
He pushed through and signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, otherwise known as “the stimulus package,” despite the fact that not one Republican voted for that bill. In addition, he launched recovery.gov, so that taxpayers could track spending from the Act.
In his first year, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act created and sustained 2.1 million jobs and stimulated the economy 3.5%.
He completed the massive TARP financial and banking rescue plan, and recovered virtually all of its costs.
He created the Making Home Affordable home refinancing plan.
He oversaw the creation of more jobs in 2010 alone than Bush did in eight years.
He oversaw a bailout of General Motors that saved at least 1.4 million jobs, and put pressure on the company to change its practices, resulting in GM returning to its place as the top car company in the world.
He also doubled funding for the Manufacturing Extension Partnership which is designed to improve manufacturing efficiency.
He signed the Fraud Enforcement and Recovery Act giving the federal government more tools to investigate and prosecute fraud in every corner of the financial system. It also created a bipartisan Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission to investigate the financial fraud that led to the economic meltdown.
He signed the Credit Card Accountability, Responsibility and Disclosure (CARD) Act, which was designed to to protect consumers from unfair and deceptive credit card practices.
He increased infrastructure spending after years of neglect.
He signed the Helping Families Save Their Homes Act, expanding on the Making Home Affordable Program to help millions of Americans avoid preventable foreclosures. The bill also provided $2.2 billion to help combat homelessness, and to stabilize the housing market.
Through the Worker, Homeownership, and Business Assistance Act of 2009, he and Congressional Democrats provided tax credits to first-time home buyers, which helped the U.S. housing market recovery.
He initiated a $15 billion plan designed to encourage increased lending to small businesses.
He created business.gov, which allows for online collaboration between small businesses and experts re managing a business. (The program has since merged with SBA.gov.)
He played a lead role in getting the G-20 Summit to commit to a $1.1 trillion deal to combat the global financial crisis.
He took steps to improve minority access to capital.
He created a $60 billion bank to fund infrastructure improvements such as roads and bridges.
He implemented an auto industry rescue plan, and saved as many as 1 million jobs. Many are of the opinion that he saved the entire auto industry, and even the economy of the entire Midwest.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he saved at least 300,000 education jobs, such as teachers, principals, librarians, and counselors that would have otherwise been lost.
He dismantled the Minerals Management Service, thereby moveing forward to cut ties between energy companies and the government.
Provided funding to states and the Department of Homeland Security to save thousands of police and firefighter jobs from being cut during the recession.
He used recovered TARP money to fund programs at local housing finance agencies in California, Florida, Nevada, Arizona and Michigan.
Crafted an Executive order establishing the President’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability to assist in financial education for all Americans.
Wall Street Reforms and Consumer Protection
Ordered 65 executives who took bailout money to cut their own pay until they paid back all bailout money.
He pushed through and got passed Dodd-Frank, one of the largest and most comprehensive Wall Street reforms since the Great Depression.
Dodd-Frank also included the creation of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
He made it so that banks could no longer use YOUR money to invest in high-risk financial instruments that work against their own customers' interests.
He supported the concept of allowing stockholders to vote on executive compensation.
He wholly endorsed and supported the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act of 2009 that would close offshore tax avoidance loopholes.
He made a deal with Swiss banks that permits the US government to gain access to the records of criminals and tax evaders.
He established a Consumer Protection Financial Bureau designed to protect consumers from financial sector excesses.
He oversaw and then signed the most sweeping food safety legislation since the Great Depression.
Civil Rights and Anti-Discrimination
He advocated for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act, which made it a federal crime to assault anyone based on his or her sexual orientation or gender identity.
He pushed through, signed and demanded the Pentagon enact a repeal of the discriminatory “Don’t Ask Don’t Tell” policy that forced soldiers to lie to fight for their country, and put our troops at risk by disqualifying many qualified soldiers from helping.
He appointed Kareem Dale as the first ever Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy.
Helped Congress pass and signed the Civil Rights History Act.
He extended benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees.
He's appointed more openly gay officials than anyone in history.
He issued a Presidential Memorandum reaffirming the rights of gay couples to make medical decisions for each other.
He established a White House Council on Women and Girls
He signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, restoring basic protections against pay discrimination for women and other workers. This was after the GOP blocked the bill in 2007. Only 5 Republican Senators voted for the bill.
Wrote and signed an Executive Order establishing a White House Council on Women and Girls to ensure that all Cabinet and Cabinet-level agencies evaluate the effect of their policies and programs on women and families.
He expanded funding for the Violence Against Women Act.
Under his watch, National Labor Relations Board has issued final rules that require all employers to prominently post employees' rights where all employees or prospective employees can see it, including websites and intranets, beginning November 2011.
Fighting Poverty
He provided a $20 billion increase for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (Food Stamps).
He signed an Executive Order that established the White House Office of Urban Affairs.
Improved Foreign Relations and American Status Abroad
He visited more countries and met with more world leaders than any previous president during his first six months in office.
As he promised, he gave a speech at a major Islamic forum in Cairo early in his administration.
He did much to restore America's reputation around the world as a global leader that does the "right thing" in world affairs, at least according to the rest of the world.
He re-established and reinforced our partnership with NATO and other allies on strategic international issues.
Closed a number of secret detention facilities.
He improved relations with Middle East countries by appointing special envoys.
He pushed for military to emphasize devlopment of foreign language skills.
Offered $400 million to the people living in Gaza, called on both Israel and the Palestinians to stop inciting violence.
He refused to give Israel the green light to attack Iran over their possible nuclear program.
He worked to make donations to Haiti tax deductible in 2009.
He established a new U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.
Issued Executive Order blocking interference and helping to stabilize Somalia.
He established new, more reasonable policies in our relations with Cuba, such as allowing Cuban-Americans to visit their families and send money to support them.
He ordered the closure of the prison at Guantanamo Bay. It was Republicans (and a smattering of Democrats) who prevented him from following through.
Ordered a review of our detention and interrogation policy, and prohibited the use of torture, or what Bush called "enhanced interrogation." He ordered interrogators to limit their actions to the Army Field manual.
He ordered all secret detention facilities in Eastern Europe and elsewhere to be closed.
He released the Bush torture memos.
On his second day in office, he signed a detailed Executive Order that banned torture, reversed all Bush torture policies, and put the United States in compliance with the Geneva Convention.
In response to the emerging "Arab Spring," he created a Rapid Response fund, to assist emerging democracies with foreign aid, debt relief, technical assistance and investment packages in order to show that the United States stands with them.
Passed the Iran Sanctions Act, to prevent war, and to encourage Iran to give up their nuclear program.
Ended the Iraq War.
He authorized and oversaw a secret mission by SEAL Team Six to rescue two hostages held by Somali pirates.
Better Approach to “Defense”
Created a comprehensive new strategy for dealing with the international nuclear threat.
He authorized a $1.4 billion reduction in Star Wars program in 2010.
He restarted nuclear nonproliferation talks and built up the nuclear inspection infrastructure/protocols to where they had been before Bush.
He signed and pushed to ratification a new SALT Treaty.
Negotiated and signed a new START Treaty that will lst until at least 2021.
Through the Defense Authorization Act, he reversed the Bush Administration and committed to no permanent military bases in Iraq.
He developed the first comprehensive strategy with regard to Afghanistan and Pakistan designed to facilitate the defeat of al Qaeda and the withdrawal of most troops, as well as the rebuilding of Afghanistan.
He returned our focus to Afghanistan, stabilized the country, and began the process of withdrawing our troops from the country.
Fulfilled campaign promise and ended our involvement in Iraq, and will complete full troop withdrawal before Christmas 2011.
He took steps to severely weaken al Qaeda and limited their ability to terrorize the world.
He negotiated and signed a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with India.
He took decisive action to use NATO to limit the slaughter of innocents in Libya, so that the Libyan people could topple a despotic government and determine their own fate.
Treating Soldiers and Veterans with Respect
He made sure that families of fallen soldiers could be on hand when the body arrives at Dover AFB, by providing funding for it. He also ended the media blackout on coverage of the return of fallen soldiers.
He funded Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) with an extra $1.4 billion to improve veterans’ services.
He provided the troops with better body armor.
Created the Joint Virtual Lifetime Electronic Record program for military personnel, in order to improve the quality of their medical care.
He put an end to the Bush-era stop-loss policy that kept soldiers in Iraq/Afghanistan beyond their enlistment date. (personal note: my son will be in harm’s way for six fewer months with Obama as president, so you know I love this one.)
He supported and signed the Veterans Health Care Budget Reform and Transparency Act, which made more money available to enable better medical care for veterans.
He ushered through the largest spending increase in 30 years for the Department of Veterans Affairs for improved medical facilities, and to assist states in acquiring or constructing state nursing homes and extended care facilities.
He created the Green Vet Initiative, which provided special funding to the Labor Department to provide veterans with training in green jobs.
He oversaw a $4.6 billion expansion of the Veterans Administration budget to pay for more mental health professionals.
Education
He has repeatedly increased funding for student financial aid, and at the same time cut the banks completely out of the process.
Completely reformed the student loan program, to make it possible for students to refinance at a lower rate.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he invested heavily in elementary, secondary and post-secondary education. This includes a major expansion of broadband availability in K-12 schools nationwide , as well as an expansion in school construction.
Also through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he put $5 billion into early education, including Head Start.
He oversaw expansion of the Pell Grants program, to expand opportunity for low income students to go to college.
He passed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which provided an extra $12.2 billion in funds.
Greater Transparency and Better Government
He signed an order banning gifts from lobbyists to anyone in the Executive Branch.
He signed an order banning anyone from working in an agency they had lobbied in previous years. He also put strict limits on lobbyists’ access to the White House.
He held the first-ever first online town hall from the White House, and took questions from the public.
The Obama White House became the first to stream every White House event, live.
He established a central portal for Americans to find service opportunities.
He provided the first voluntary disclosure of the White House Visitors Log in history.
He crafted an Executive Order on Presidential Records, which restored the 30-day time frame for former presidents to review records, and eliminated the right for the vice president or family members of former presidents to do the reviews. This will provide the public with greater access to historic White House documents, and severely curtails the ability to use executive privilege to shield them.
He improved aspects of the Freedom of Information Act, and issued new guidelines to make FOIA more open and transparent in the processing of FOIA requests.
National Safety and Security
He’s restored federal agencies such as FEMA to the point that they have been able to manage a huge number of natural disasters successfully.
Authorized Navy SEALS to successfully secure the release of a US captain held by Somali pirates and increased patrols off the Somali coast.
Has repeatedly beefed up border security
Ordered and oversaw the Navy SEALS operation that killed Osama bin Laden.
Science, Technology and Health Care
He created a Presidential Memorandum to restore scientific integrity in government decision-making.
Opened up the process for fast-tracking patent approval for green energy projects.
He eliminated the Bush-era restrictions on embryonic stem cell research. He also provided increased federal support for biomedical and stem cell research.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he committed more federal funding, about $18 billion, to support non-defense science and research labs.
He signed the Christopher and Dana Reeve Paralysis Act, the first comprehensive attempt to improve the lives of Americans living with paralysis.
He expanded the Nurse-Family Partnership program, which provides home visits by trained registered nurses to low-income expectant mothers and their families, to cover more first-time mothers.
His EPA reveresed research ethics standards which allowed humands to be used as "guinea pigs" in tests of the effects of chemicals, to comply with numerous codes of medical ethics.
Conducted a cyberspace policy review.
Provided financial support for private sector space programs.
He oversaw enhanced earth mapping, to provide valuable data for agricultural, educational, scientific, and government use.
He ushered throough a bill that authorized the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products. As a result, the FDA has Ordered Tobacco Companies to Disclose Cigarette Ingredients and banned sale of cigarettes falsely labeled as “light.”
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, he provided $500 million for Health Professions Training Programs.
He also increased funding for community-based prevention programs.
He oversaw a 50% decrease in cost of prescription drugs for seniors.
He eliminated the Bush-era practice of forbidding Medicare from negotiating with drug companies on price.
Two weeks after taking office, he signed the Children’s Health Insurance Reauthorization Act, which increased the number of children covered by health insurance by 4 million.
He held a quick press conference, and urged Congress to investigate Anthem Blue Cross for raising premiums 39% without explanation. Rep. Waxman responded by launching a probe, and Anthem Blue Cross put the increase on hold for two months.
Ushered through and signed the Affordable Health Care Act, which expanded health insurance coverage to 30 million more people, and ended many common insurance company practices that are often detrimental to those with coverage. He also established
Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he allowed children to be covered under their parents’ policy until they turned 26.
Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he provided tax breaks to allow 3.5 million small business to provide health insurance to their employees, and 29 million people will receive tax breaks to help them afford health insurance.
Through the Affordable Health Care Act, he expanded Medicaid to those making up to 133% of the federal poverty level.
Through the Affordable Health Care Act, health insurance companies now have to disclose how much of your premium actually goes to pay for patient care.
Provisions in the Affordable Health Care Act have already resulted in Medicare costs actually declining slightly this fiscal year, for the first time in many years, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Last year's increase was 4%. Compare that to the average 12% annual inflation rate during the previous 40 years.
Strengthening the Middle Class and Families
He worked to provide affordable, high-quality child care to working families.
He cracked down on companies that were previously denying sick pay, vacation and health insurance, and Social Security and Medicare tax payments through abuse of the employee classification of independent contractor.
Through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act , he cut taxes for 95% of America's working families.
Under Obama, tax rates for average working families are the lowest they’ve been since 1950.
He extended and fully funded the patch for the Alternative Minimum Tax for 10 years.
He extended discounted COBRA health coverage for the unemployed from 9 months to 15 months, and he’s extended unemployment benefits several times.
Environment and Energy
He fast-tracked regulations to allow states to enact federal fuel efficiency standards that were above federal standards.
He fast-tracked increased fuel economy standards for vehicles beginning with the 2011 model year. It was the first time such standards had been increased in a decade.
He oversaw the establishment of an Energy Partnership for the Americas, which creates more markets for American-made biofuels and green energy technologies.
His EPA reversed a Bush-era decision to allow the largest mountaintop removal project in US history.
He ordered the Department of Energy to implement more aggressive efficiency standards for common household appliances.
He ordered energy plants to prepare to produce at least 15% of all energy through renewable resources like wind and solar, by 2021. (As you can see, Republicans are trying hard to kill it.)
He oversaw the creation of an initiative that converts old factories and manufacturing centers into new clean technology centers.
Bypassed Republican opposition in Congress and ordered EPA to begin regulating and measuring carbon emissions.
His EPA ruled that CO2 is a pollutant.
He doubled federal spending on clean energy research.
He pushed through a tax credit to help people buy plug-in hybrid cars.
He created a program to develop renewable energy projects on the waters of our Outer Continental Shelf that will produce electricity from wind, wave, and ocean currents.
He reengaged in the climate change and greenhouse gas emissions agreements talks, and even proposed one himself. He also addressed the U.N. Climate Change Conference, officially reversing the Bush era stance that climate change was a “hoax.”
He fully supported the initial phase of the creation of a legally-binding treaty to reduce mercury emissions worldwide.
He required states to provide incentives to utilities to reduce their energy consumption.
Following Bush’s eight year reign, he reengaged in a number of treaties and agreements designed to protect the Antarctic.
Created tax write-offs for purchases of hybrid automobiles, and later he and Democrats morphed that program into one that includes electric cars.
Mandated that federal government fleet purchases be for fuel-efficient American vehicles, and encouraged that federal agencies support experimental, fuel-efficient vehicles.
He oversaw and pushed through an amendment to the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 authorizing advances from Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
He also actively tried to amend the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to eliminate the liability limits for those companies responsible for large oil spills.
He initiated Criinal and Civil inquiries into the Deepwater Horizon oil spill.
Through his EPA, he asserted federal legal supremacy, and barred Texas from authorizing new refinery permits on its own.
He strengthened the Endangered Species Act.
His EPA improved boiler safety standards to improve air quality, and save 6500 lives per year.
Through the EPA, he took steps to severely limit the use of antibiotics in livestock feed, to increase their efficacy in humans.
He increased funding for National Parks and Forests by 10%
He announced greatly improved commercial fuel efficiency standards.
He announced the deveopment of a huge increase in average fuel economy standards from 27.5mpg to 35.5mpg starting in 2016 and 54.5 starting in 2025
Other Stuff
He has expanded trade agreements to include stricter labor and environmental agreements such as NAFTA.
He oversaw funding of the design of a new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History, which is scheduled to open on the National Mall in 2015. He protected the funding during the recent budget negotiations.
Oversaw and passed increased funding for the National Endowment for the Arts.
He nominated Sonia Sotomayor and Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. Sotomayor is the first Hispanic Justice in the court’s history, and the women represent only the third and fourth women to serve on the court, out of a total of 112 justices.
He appointed the most diverse Cabinet in history, including more women than any other incoming president.
He eliminated federal funding for abstinence-only education, and he rescinded the global gag rule.
He loosened the rules and allowed the 14 states that legalized medical marijuana to regulate themselves without federal interference.
His FDA banned the use of antibiotics in livestock production.
Ushered through and signed national service legislation, increasing funding for national service groups, including triple the size of the Americorps program.
STAN: What you call "rammed down our throats" is your way of saying that it was a controversial piece of legislation that passed by a narrow margin.
Too bad your party has made the conscious decision to destroy Obama at all costs, even to the detriment of the nation.
Can't wait to hear Willard defend his Massachussetts plan of which Obamacare IS A CARBON COPY OF. Did you know that until about 2009 Willard was advocating his health plan FOR THE ENTIRE COUNTRY??? Not to mention the fact that the Individual Mandate which the Right is screaming about was A CONSERVATIVE IDEA, CREATED BY NEWT GINGRICH AND THE HERITAGE FOUNDATION.
So I gues you could say, they were for it before they knew that Obama was for it so now they're against it. HYPOCRITS
Sorry, Arizona, I am afraid you are preaching to the choir, There are not 10 Retardicans in America that can hold a thought long enough to read your explanation of fact. They have all been made brain-dead by Rush and at most can get out a few meaningless words strung together in non-sense and hatred.
Remember the pathetic attempt at intelligence such as "Obuma's a Kenyan" that was repeated over and over again until even the idiots got tired of it.
@tex - I know, but it is fun to tease them a little then stand back and watch them regurgitate what they heard on Fox and Rush that day!!!
Ozzie Boy...What party,, I never claimed to be a dem or a rep, try independent and a centrist....Never make statements that you cannot prove. :0) Health care did not pass by a narrow margin...The dems had a majority in both houses at the time...check it out...As for the health care,,,I am against both the Romney version and Obama version...There might be a couple of things in Obamacare as it is known that I agree with....but the rest NO! Why should the government tell me what health insurance I should have?? Second you only took that what you felt you could defend...try reading the rest and come up with an answer, especially the last part
Arizona,
You must be applying for the current position of Czar of Spin with the current administration. I will not waste time taking on your slanted rant line by line but I will let you know you lack the ability to reason from cause to effect.
I will throw you a few bones.
The national poverty rate has increased under this President.
The actual employment rate is still more than 1 million less than when the President took office. It is called a net loss.
The unemployment rate among college graduates 23-25 is 53% not great numbers in any ones book.
The President and his party still have not developed or enacted a budget in over 3 years.
ICE, GSA, Fast and Furious, Solyndra, Secret Service, scandals show a lack of leadership in his organization.
Supreme Court has to decide if the poorly written ACA is constitutional.
Still no reason, conscience or comprehension on your part.
It has been said if you can't blind them with brilliance, baffle them with BS I see you passed the course.
Good lord, get a life. Who has time to write all that
Next week we'll be talking about the economy and the job numbers so this is Mr. Obama's time to show us that he the necessary guts and instincts to be Commander and Chief. The people on the right who say that it wasn't a gutsy call just imagine if the Seals didn't do there job and were slaughtered that day!!!1 Not only would you been ready to crucify him but hang him up side down on the cross (a little Messiah as the repubs call him humor for ya) so it wasn't an easy decision because that poltics of the situation would have been an issue if this going right!!! So give the man his due and next week after the jobs report comes out Friday you can attack him on his handling on the economy if it's bad but please give him his props if it's good.
LOL no doubt about that. Thank God Bush's policies were still in place to allow our intelligence communities to catch the guy. Mitch Rapp would have a helluva time under this administration. 8 months left of the clown show.
smokedbrisket, you forgot to thanks Bush for the economic collapsed in 2008.
Nah. I'll thank Clinton for repealing the Glass-Steagall Act allowing banks to gamble away all our money.
Smoked-too-much, Bush had NOTHING to do with the killing of bin Laden. He crapped his pants when bin Laden was surrounded in Tora Bora and pulled the special forces out that had him trapped. Even inbred, southern morons know that! IDIOT!
South Bay....Bush? wrong..If Barney Frank and his crowd had listened to Bush when he took office and told congress to better regulate Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the collapse may never have happened...check it out
Stan, If you want to support your opinions there are plenty of websites for you. The same applies to me. The question is which one can be trusted. Also, you can not look back a history and "assume" that the outcome is 100% correct if we have done this or that. I got this link from the Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/realestate/fannie-and-freddie-dont-deserve-blame-for-bubble/2012/01/23/gIQAn3LZMQ_story.html
and this one is from
http://tpzoo.wordpress.com/2008/09/24/who-created-the-fannie-maefreddie-mac-sub-prime-mandate/
When Obama blames Bush for the economic mess GOP party says he owns it now. When Obama take out bin laden GOPers say it's because of Bush's policies.
Okay, so it was a nice decision. Most any of us would have, could have made that call. I'm glad he made the call. Now what has he done to make us want to have him be our president for another four debt building, constitution crushing years? I'm telling you we're headed for disaster if we don't get him out in November!
What is heading us for disaster is that morons like you are able to vote! For the sake of your children, stay home!
tex2c, you are an idiot. It's unfortunate that you have access to the Internet. But I'm guessing you are being paid from our Tax Dollars, so you have free access.
I would "vote Republican" if it meant something to do so. Tough on immigration, fiscally conservative, etc..... but it doesn't. Romney will just talk the talk and when he gets in it will be the same republican economic strategy, "less taxes and regulation for big corporations who are flush with cash and have record high profit margins ", its like hearing Reagan speak from the grave. Hows that "trickle down" workin for ya?? As for POTUS, he made a great decision, but he should look forward to everyday being his best in office, not one day a year ago. Your only as good as your last decision, that's how the job goes, thats where the grey hair comes from.
How's Barry's first 4 years been working for ya??
Awesome - thank you very much!!!
Zman, a hellava lot better than the stupidity of the Bush and Reagan fiascos.
Note that when the real issues like "why do corporations get off without taxes but are considered persons when allowing them to control the elections?" come up, the right wind fanatics go off whining about how bad things have been for them lately? No brains, no vote should be a Constitutional Amendment!
tex2c,
Again with the willing ignorance. Corporations never pay taxes they just pass the cost on to consumers...can you comprehend at all?
Reagan created the economy Clinton inherited check it out for yourself. I lived through those years and at least I had a good job then. Now I am stuck arguing with willing ignorants like yourself as I wait and look for job openings. I even used the last three years to get another college degree...what have you done to better yourself besides drink the kool-aid?
No agreement with you bias should prevent my right to vote..again with the lack of comprehension.
I ask again Libs; Please explain your diversion to water boarding and sleep deprivation, and then glorifying the globetrotting assasination of Bin Laden's innocent family members and drones blasting to smithereens who knows who living in mud huts in Pakistan. Is this not the same man that demanded civil rights and trials for all of the prisoners in Guantanemo?
perhaps you can ask John McCain why he opposes "torture"
Heheh; John McCain is not ordering the blasting of humans into corpses all over the middle east now, is he? I didn't think you would care to address the hypocrisy, and you didn't.
Sorry, I did miss your point. I also must have missed the story where Bin Laden's 'innocent' family members were assassinated. I also believe the 'drones' are seeking terrorist targets.
Just curious. Do you support bombing Afg back to the stone age or the 'shock and awe' bombing of Iraq. I assure you many innocent lives were sacrificed in that endeavour.
"Zman-1070873
How's Barry's first 4 years been working for ya??
Arizona-Buckeye
Awesome - thank you very much!!!"
Well Arizona, if he keeps office another term your welfare check will stop coming, and then what will you think about how it's going?
Super -- your comment makes no sense.
I think that most of us can agree that we are sick of Obama and his antics. Comedy shows, talk shows, taking all the credit for this Osama thing?? I also think that most of us can agree that we are tired of this guy doing nothing for the country and the middle class (unemplyment, social security, the economy, Iran, N Korea, the housing mess, devaluation of our dollar, $6 trillion in debt, country basically BKed) but still struting around like a "Rock star"
ROMNEY - 2012.
Safe to say your little whine is only shared by you and your teapublican buddies! Everybody else is fine with the direction of the country. It is funny to watch you all foam at the mouth about it though!
what an idiot you are ZMan.
Romney is a liar who would say or do anything just to be the R nominee. just think of the flip-flopping coming when he goes for POTUS.
I dont think Zman has had a reality check in a loooong time! Spouting the same old tired lies and phony accusations does just fine for a person of his intelligence but the rest of us need a little more substance to work with, like who the hell is this rich wannabe Romney anyway?
The Panetta memo, rather than presenting a profile in courage, says "approval is
provided on the risk profile presented to the president." This left enough wiggle
room to blame the operation planners and controllers if the raid had gone as
wrong as President Jimmy Carter's famous failure to rescue American hostages held
by Iran. This memo left room for the blame for another "Blackhawk Down" snafu to
be placed on anyone and everyone but President Obama.
I'll bet Admiral McRAven would have been looking at a courts martial if the SEALS hadn't been successful.
DAN: Impressive spin, too bad it's a totally trumped up excuse. The history books will recored that Bush failed miserably and that Obama got the job done in 2 years.
Hey Roxza1, did I push your little buttons? You didn't just drink the secular socialist liberal kool aid by the glass, you drank all of it at once. Face it, your boy is a traitor to America and he is going down in November. Is that what has you so upset? Do you read? For your information there is a new book out by a Navy Seal and he has clearly stated that Bush should get most of the credit because most of the work was done during his administration. Of course as someone on here wrote, by that we really mean the intelligence community. Stop living in the past and trying to blame Bush for your boy's failures, except to Obama they are victories as his agenda was to destroy America. Stop rewriting history. When Bush said "mission accomplished" under that banner he was talking about the military mission to free Iraq from tyrany. Anyone with any common sense knew we would have to stay and help the Iraqi people rebuild and then came the civil war. So maybe it is time for you to learn some history at the least and stop misrepresenting the facts at the most. You aren't going to like it here when the American restoration begins after Romney is elected, so maybe you should move somewhere else more to your liking. Understand this, WE ARE TAKING OUR COUNTRY BACK!
BACK???? Back to Fascism and the 14th Century???
scorn
Want to push their buttons, then try this one. An Obama speech made on the Senate floor. Just as pertinent today as when Obama made it.
Obama's own words condemn him as a failed leader who is a danger to our economy and nation with his never ending, ever growing debt crises that has pushed the debt ceiling to $15.7 trillion.
From Sen. Obama’s Floor Speech, March 20, 2006:
The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that “the buck stops here.” Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better.
At the time, Senator Obama was urging Congress not to tolerate an increase that would bring the debt ceiling to $9 trillion.
And your point is???? One of the main failings of the Retardican Party is that its members still think things never change and will stand by their pre-concieved notions even if it means they will sink the ship for their neighbors to make that last bloody dollar.
Don't believe the propaganda!!!! Osama Bin Laden died in 2006. He was on dialysis
there is only so long you can live on that or are you to tell me he is the
first person in the world to live that long with this condition...... Over the
years Special Forces teams were instructed to not engage Bin Laden, to keep him
alive. And then all of a sudden in 2011 we decide to take him out and the seal
team that does it mysteriously all died when their NEW STEALTH helicopter gets
shot down and they won’t show us a picture of Bin Laden’s body....... hmmmmm if
it looks like @!$%# and smells like @!$%# then it's probably bull @!$%#.
Bin Laden is buried right next to Obama's birth certificate, right?
and the CIA shot Kennedy right?
After reading about the Bin Laden Raid, it should be apparent to our enemies that If the Seals are coming its too late to run.