Meanwhile, the reality is "a bit" different:
www.politifact.com
#1 | Posted by TrueBlue at 2009-10-05 09:37 PM
Just for fun, we thought we'd go through Saturday Night Live's checklist and match it up with the promises we've rated on the Obameter.
• "Close Guantanamo Bay - Not Done." We've rated Obama's promise No. 177 Close the Guantanamo Detention Center as Stalled. Congress has been reluctant to fund the closure and press reports have indicated progress is not proceeding as the White House had hoped. Still, Obama gave himself a year to get this done, and that's not until January 2010.
• "Out of Iraq - Not Done." Actually, Obama did not promise to have troops out during his first year; he promised to remove them in approximately 16 months. We rated Obama's promise No. 125, Direct military leaders to end the war in Iraq, as Promise Kept and his promise No. 126, Begin removing combat troops from Iraq, as In the Works.
• "Improve Afghanistan - Worse." The promise we've rated on Afghanistan is No. 134, Send two additional brigades to Afghanistan. We've rated this Promise Kept.
• "Health Care Reform - Hell No." We rated Promise No. 433, Sign a "universal" health care bill, as In the Works. With health care legislation pending in Congress, many of Obama's campaign promises about health care reform are rated In the Works.
• "Global Warming - Not Done." One of Obama's top promises on global warming is No. 456, Create cap and trade system with interim goals to reduce global warming. Congress is considering legislation on this, so we've rated it In the Works.
• "Immigration Reform - Not Done." Promise No. 288, Provide a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants, is rated No Action.
• "Gays in the military - Not Done." We rated Promise No. 293, Call for repeal of "Don't ask, don't tell" policy, as Stalled.
• "Limits on executive powers - Not Done." We rated promise No. 516, No signing statements to nullify instructions from Congress, as Compromise.
• "Torture prosecutions - Not Done." Obama never promised to prosecute people who tortured terror suspects. He did make promise No. 175, End the use of torture, which we rated In the Works.
• re. Gitmo - a superficial gesture, unless he also closes Bagram, deals fully with our detainees, and stops with the "indefinite detention" bull shit. He has shown that he only cares about head lines in this regard.
• re. Iraq - following the status of forces agreement can hardly be considered accomplishment.
• re. Afghanistan - Obama can't be considered responsible for where this nation is at, just for what course he's taking it now. Instead of pulling out, acknowledging that we haven't much to win there, that it's becoming more and more of a burden, he's escalating. For that, he fails.
• re. Health care reform - real reform would be Medicare for all; he doesn't seem to be really pushing for that, does he?
• re. Global Warming - the cap 'n' trade bill is bull shit, making environmental protection a Wall Street function, while demanding weak fuel efficiency standards, and offering billions of tons of carbon emission allowances. Me thinks it is more about making a buck than protecting the environment. (environemental groups have criticized as well)
• re. Immigration Reform - lol yeah right.
• re. Gays in the military - not much going on here.
• re. Limits on executive powers - minor improvements. Very minor.
• re. Ending torture - will have to wait and see. With his track record on seeking headlines while making very few and only superficial changes regarding the detainees and their rights, I won't be surprised if it comes out that it's still happening.
