Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has invited Iran to participate in a conference on Afghanistan at the end of March (It should be noted that Iran was helping us fight al Qaida in Afghanistan before President Bush named them as a part of his “Axis of Evil”.
· “As I said during my inauguration speech, if countries like Iran are willing to unclench their fist, they will find an extended hand from us.”--President Obama
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The Obama Administration has delayed the Bush Administration’s plan to install an Anti-Missile system (which doesn’t work) along Russia’s western border to intercept intercontinental ballistic missiles (which Iran doesn’t have), armed with nuclear warheads (which Iran doesn’t have). Not deploying this system would save the US $4 billion per year and clear the way for President Obama to “convene the most ambitious arms reduction talks with Russia for a generation, aiming to slash each country's stockpile of nuclear weapons by 80 per cent.”
· “We are going to re-engage Russia in a more traditional, legally binding arms reduction process. We are prepared to engage in a broader dialogue with the Russians over issues of concern to them.”-- unnamed Administration official, The Times Online, 2/4/09
· “Our American partners are ready to discuss this problem, and that’s already positive. Several months ago we were hearing different signals [from the Bush Administration]: The decision has been made, there is nothing to discuss, we will do what we have decided to do. Now I hope the situation is different.”--Russian President Dmitry Medvedev
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President Obama has signed an Executive Order rescinding Bush’s ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research. Even more importantly, he issued a Presidential Memorandum-- restoring the role of science in making science policy.
· [Today, I am] signing a Presidential Memorandum directing the head of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for restoring scientific integrity to government decision making. To ensure that in this new Administration, we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions.
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President Obama has even taken a swipe at the 900 lb. gorilla in the room--military spending. On March 4, Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum that set out new rules for awarding contracts. He announced:
· “The days of giving defense contractors a blank check are over.”
· “We will stop outsourcing services that should be performed by the government and open up the contracting process to small business. We will end unnecessary no-bid and cost-plus contracts.” (With cost-plus contracts, the more money the contractor wastes, the more profit they make.)
Mr. Bush’s War on Iraq has provided a blueprint of how not to spend our military dollars.
· “In Iraq, too much money has been paid out for services that were never performed, buildings that were never completed, [and] companies that skimmed off the top [overcharged and kept the money].”--President Obama, VOA News, 3/4/09
During the Bush years, military spending increased a little more than 5 percent each year. The Obama budget reduces the increase to less than a two percent. This may not sound like a big cut, but considering that President Obama essentially inherited this military spending budget, there was only so much he could do this year. The important thing is that...
