Go Figure

I awoke this morning to breaking news that President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Since the nomination process for the prize closed February 1, 2009, I wondered exactly what accomplishments he had in his resume two weeks into his Presidency that would justify this award. Hmmm…Iran and North Korea are testing missiles and enriching uranium, increasing the possibility that they will have nuclear weapons in the near future and the capability to launch them. Israel and Palestine are no closer to reconciliation. He sent more troops to Afghanistan and is now contemplating sending even more into a situation in which he admittedly has no strategy. Genocide in Darfur. Egregious human rights violations in China. These are interesting qualifications to say the least.

The next obvious question is that with unemployment at nearly 10%, banks failing, car companies failing, all manner of businesses shutting down, the stock market in flux, the dollar devaluing, speculation that the dollar will no longer be the currency of oil cartels, why didn’t he win the Nobel Prize for Economics?

Go figure.

The Blame Game

When my daughter was growing up, as a single parent, I didn’t have to worry too much about figuring out who was responsible when something was broken or awry in our house . She didn’t have anyone else to blame. I remember a Family Circus cartoon in which there were imaginary “gremlins” named “Ida No” and “Not Me” flying around the house who got blamed when the question, “who did this?’ was asked. Those two didn’t live in our house. If something was broken, and I knew I didn’t do it, my daughter must have. She couldn’t blame anyone or anything else. Since there was no one else to blame, she learned how to take responsibility early in life no matter how unpleasant the consequences were.

The blame game in our country is in high gear these days. How many times in the last 9 months have you heard “It’s all George Bush’s fault.”? Or “The previous administration…” you fill in the blank. The evil triad of George Bush, Dick Cheney and Karl Rove has been blamed for everything including but not limited to climate change, the housing crises, U.S. car manufacturers going under, the rising unemployment rate, gas prices (but only when they go up), the health care “crisis”, all the country’s economic woes, and the rise in the number of terrorist attacks in the U.S. Oh wait...there haven’t been any of those since 9/11/01, but he doesn’t get credit for that.

Once again, how one feels about these issues is largely determined by the side of the fence you fall on politically. The latest, and for me, the last straw, though, was Senator Roland Burris' claiming that Chicago lost its bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics because of George Bush. Let’s take a look at this situation. Our President went to Copenhagen, not for a mission of National importance but to bid for the Olympics for Chicago. When he got there, he basically insinuated that having the Olympics in Chicago would help to heal the hurt feelings of all those who felt slighted by the previous administration. George Bush was a bully and a cowboy who disenfranchised the whole world. Seriously? Let’s think about it. When the IOC had a choice between a city where teens are murdering each other in the streets and one where there is a carnival atmosphere and the girls from Ipanema year round, was there ever really a choice?

The burning question in all this is when, oh when, will this administration finally accept responsibility for what is happening today? So many say that President Obama took over a colossal mess. I wouldn't disagree, but I seem to remember that there were two parties in government for all those eight years. I also remember that Barak Obama was a Senator during four of those years. For nearly two of those four years he ran for President instead of advocating for his constituents. I believe for some of the Bush years, Democrats were in control of the House, and the Senate was pretty evenly divided if you count those who are considered “Republicans In Name Only.” Certainly the housing crisis is bigger than anyone could have guessed, but who blocked legislation to bring Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac under control? Who claimed there wasn't a housing crisis? Who was the leader of the House Financial Services Committee for the last two years when the crises snowballed? The unemployment rate has risen to 9.8%. After 9 months and a stimulus package, whose fault is that? Where are all the jobs that President Obama promised would be gained and saved? U.S. car manufacturers are still suffering abysmal sales. Is that also George Bush’s fault? Or is it the fault of the manufacturers and unions making cars people don’t want at prices they can’t afford?

I for one am tired of hearing “It’s not my fault.” OK. So let's all agree that none of this is President Obama’s fault, but he was there when it began, and it’s his problem to solve now. If he wants to have a second term, it is high time for him to stop looking over his shoulder and claiming things are worse than he realized, and that the previous administration is the root of all our problems. He needs to leave the late night TV appearances to actors and comedians. He should stay home, find and work with those who can help solve these problems, and get on with the job of being the President. He must stop apologizing, but most of all, he must take responsibility. He must stop the blame game and move on.