Obama’s luck holds with GOP contenders
By Richard Cohen,
WashPost
Monday, December 5, 7:11 PM
It is said that, when Napoleon was asked what qualities he looked for in his generals, he responded, “Just one — that they be lucky.” This is a quality President Obama has in abundance — just look at the mess Republicans have made of their presidential race. Things turn out for Barack Obama. They always have, and it seems they always will.
Shall we start with the latest unemployment numbers? At 8.6 percent, the jobless rate is lower than it has been in 21 / 2 years and is heading in the right direction. Lots of people are still out of work, and they will continue to be because the problem is structural, but the economy is improving, and there is nearly a year until the presidential election — time for a new reality to overcome the old perception. Amazingly, the United States is about to become a net exporter of petroleum products. The last time this happened was in 1949, which was 12 years before Obama was born. Talk about luck!
Two of the great American auto companies have survived their close call with going belly-up and now are making money. Along with the financial system, they were saved by government programs that Republicans characterize as pretty close to neo-Stalinist. Call them what you may, they worked. Jobs were saved. You got a problem with that?
The war in Iraq, George W. Bush’s own stimulus program, is coming to an end, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. Osama bin Laden is totally dead, his ranks vastly reduced by drones. And while the Middle East policy has been something of a mess, even the Israelis have come around on Obama: A majority now have a favorable view of him. Mazel tov!
(More here.)
WashPost
Monday, December 5, 7:11 PM
It is said that, when Napoleon was asked what qualities he looked for in his generals, he responded, “Just one — that they be lucky.” This is a quality President Obama has in abundance — just look at the mess Republicans have made of their presidential race. Things turn out for Barack Obama. They always have, and it seems they always will.
Shall we start with the latest unemployment numbers? At 8.6 percent, the jobless rate is lower than it has been in 21 / 2 years and is heading in the right direction. Lots of people are still out of work, and they will continue to be because the problem is structural, but the economy is improving, and there is nearly a year until the presidential election — time for a new reality to overcome the old perception. Amazingly, the United States is about to become a net exporter of petroleum products. The last time this happened was in 1949, which was 12 years before Obama was born. Talk about luck!
Two of the great American auto companies have survived their close call with going belly-up and now are making money. Along with the financial system, they were saved by government programs that Republicans characterize as pretty close to neo-Stalinist. Call them what you may, they worked. Jobs were saved. You got a problem with that?
The war in Iraq, George W. Bush’s own stimulus program, is coming to an end, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. Osama bin Laden is totally dead, his ranks vastly reduced by drones. And while the Middle East policy has been something of a mess, even the Israelis have come around on Obama: A majority now have a favorable view of him. Mazel tov!
(More here.)
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