Presidential Ethics

Presidential ethics consists of keeping campaign promises and not conveniently changing views on issues. It means applying policies fairly and consistently amongst the entire United States population. It means bridging our political divide. It means being responsible and accountable for all actions and policies. It also means being lawful, transparent, and to protect American citizens from external threats at all costs. Based on this definition, President Obama may be the most unethical president of all time.

President Obama’s favorite past time since he has been office has been to blame all his problems on his predecessor George Bush. Sure, Obama inherited a lot of problems, most presidents do, but unlike Obama they do not blame their predecessor. Obama conveniently blames lax Bush oversight for the Gulf oil spill even as he mismanages the clean up effort. In fact, Obama’s Department of Justice (DOJ) has wasted valuable time and money investigating the Bush administration’s firing of federal judges and their use of enhanced interrogation techniques. The Bush administration was found innocent of all charges in both cases. Thus, the Obama administration is not practicing responsibility and accountability. In fact, they have been vengeful, which is a trait routinely seen in bad leaders.

The policies of the DOJ are also very concerning. They dropped a case to prosecute 4 Black Panther Party members who intimidated voters at a Philadelphia precinct in 2008. Would the DOJ have dismissed a similar case against Ku Klux Klan members? No, therefore, the policy is not fair or consistent. The DOJ filed suite against the Arizona immigration law because they claim it violates federal law. However, the DOJ has not filing suit against any sanctuary cities and states whose policies also violate federal law. So this policy is also neither fair nor consistent nor is it making us safe from Mexican drug cartels. The DOJ has refused to investigate the Association for Community Organizers for Reform Now (ACORN) after they were shown aiding customers in illegal activity and are under investigation in 14 states for voter registration fraud. If the National Rifle Association (NRA) did the same thing you can bet the DOJ would rightfully indict them. So this policy is also neither fair nor consistent. The DOJ’s policy of giving enemy combatants the same rights as American citizens is also neither fair nor consistent since American troops do not receive the same privilege. And what’s worse, how does this policy protect American citizens and make them safer? It doesn’t!

The Obama administration’s foreign policy in the Middle East is neither fair nor is it consistent. Obama has been placing the entire onus of making concessions in the peace process solely on Israel. Even after Israel said it would halt settlement expansion plans in Gaza and the West Bank, Obama was not satisfied. He insisted that Israel stop building settlements in Jerusalem. This point has been heavily disputed between the two nations and has strained their relationship. Meanwhile, Obama has not asked the Palestinian government to make any sacrifices. Do Palestinians have to move out of Israel? No! At the same time, what sacrifices has the Obama administration made to ensure Israeli safety in the face of a nuclear Iran? Nothing! While Obama has gone around world apologizing to Muslims for past U.S. foreign policy, he has yet to visit Israel. Incidentally, the U.S. military has freed Muslims from genocide and tyranny in Iraq, Afghanistan, Bosnia, Serbia, and Somalia the past several decades. So the groveling and pandering to Muslims is not necessary and is only hurting our relationship with Israel.

Obama has been the most partisan and polarizing president of all time. He has refused to incorporate any conservative ideas into his massive domestic policies. Democrats have hid behind locked doors writing thousands of pages of partisan legislation that pushes their ideological agenda on the people. Healthcare reform places the entire burden of lowering the cost of healthcare solely on health insurance companies, meanwhile big pharmaceutical companies, trial lawyers, hospitals, and other medical players have to make no sacrifices. Financial reform regulates Wall Street firms, but expands the power of Government financial companies and agencies. The Recovery Act provided billions to politicians for pet projects; meanwhile it neglected the heart of the American economy – small businesses. What’s worse, as the Recovery Act failed to create jobs the administration continues to blame Bush and Republicans for blocking the economic recovery. The Disclosure Act makes it easier for unions and special interests to contribute to campaigns than corporations. Thus, none of these policies are fair, consistent, bipartisan, or transparent.