How do you rate Mr. Obama's job performance thus far?

[matthewaynelson]

Daily Presidential Tracking Poll hits a new low...

After looking at the tracking poll and reading the Rasmussen article online, I thought I would do an informal survey here myself.

Please vote... :)

[HK4U]

I had to go with strongly disapprove because there was no choice lower.

[ronwill]

Went with disapprove. While I disagree with the bail out and the health care reform, he did increase the size of the military. This will help reduce deployment cycles and hopefully improve moral. He has aslo done some other minor things for the better.

[Piece Corps]

Originally Posted by ronwill

Went with disapprove. While I disagree with the bail out and the health care reform, he did increase the size of the military. This will help reduce deployment cycles and hopefully improve moral. He has aslo done some other minor things for the better.

And at the same time, he is cutting military spending drastically. The defense budget will be emasculated because Obama doesn't believe that we need to be worried about our enemies any more. After all, he's apologized to all of them, and now they are all our friends.

Someone else, please tell me ONE THING Obama has done to make this coutry better. Just ONE FRIKKIN' THING! And anyone who mentions the minimum wage will be taken out and summarily executed.

[ronwill]

Originally Posted by Piece Corps

And at the same time, he is cutting military spending drastically. The defense budget will be emasculated because Obama doesn't believe that we need to be worried about our enemies any more. After all, he's apologized to all of them, and now they are all our friends.

Someone else, please tell me ONE THING Obama has done to make this coutry better. Just ONE FRIKKIN' THING! And anyone who mentions the minimum wage will be taken out and summarily executed.

He has cut the F-22 program but is continuing the F-35 program (except for an alternate engine). The F-35 has a wider mission capability. He has also signed on for more F-18's, as well as some other programs. Even McCain showed support for these:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, said in a written statement that Gates' plan was a "major step in the right direction."

Don't get me wrong Obama has done little for the country and has shown contempt for religeon and the 2A.

[Bohemian]

Originally Posted by ronwill

He has cut the F-22 program but is continuing the F-35 program (except for an alternate engine). The F-35 has a wider mission capability. He has also signed on for more F-18's, as well as some other programs. Even McCain showed support for these:

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the 2008 GOP presidential nominee, said in a written statement that Gates' plan was a "major step in the right direction."

Don't get me wrong Obama has done little for the country and has shown contempt for religeon and the 2A.

F-22 V. F-35

The decision to stop production of the F-22 has raised some eyebrows, but it was not unexpected. It is part of Obama's plan to lavish money on groups like ACORN while cutting back on military programs. The F-22 is superior to any other aircraft on the drawing boards today including the F-35. But it is too expensive in the minds of many in the Pentagon and the administration, although it has its proponents in Congress and may still be saved in a more limited production. One of its problems is that despite its superiority, the F-35 is also superior to potential adversaries too and it cost much less.

The F-22 is already in service, but it has yet to fly a combat mission to my knowledge. That gives its opponents an argument when you can buy a fleet of UAVs which are running around the clock combat missions for the price of one F-22.

I am of the opinion that we need to be prepared to fight both major combat operations and counterinsurgency operations. If we get in a war involving major combat operations the military is going to wish it had the F-22s that are being cut.

What proponents need to do is to find a way to keep the assembly line working and hope that its benefits become more apparent.

Investor's Business Daily notes the F-22 is the only plane that can evade Russia's advanced air defense system. The editorial also makes the case for some of the other programs that were killed.

Some readers thoughts on the F-22:

1. The F-22 is the successor to the old stealth fighter (F-117), the last of which was retired last year. The F-35 is not as stealthy as the F-22. Shouldn't we ensure that we maintain the stealth capability that we've had since the mid-1980s and which is a proven game-winner?

2. You are correct that Gates was originally appointed by Bush. To Gates' great credit, however, he is a loyal subordinate to his boss, whether that boss is Bush or Obama. There is no question this budget ultimately reflects Obama's priorities rather than Gates'. There is no better proof of this than the fact that Gates argued for increases in missile defense funding while serving Bush but is now arguing for cuts in these programs under Obama. This doesn't mean he's a hypocrite, it merely shows he is loyal to his boss, whoever that boss may be.

An Air Force veteran notes:

If you recall a few decades ago a small plane flew from Germany to Moscow. That suggested to some that we were spending a lot of money on defense which was unnecessary. I believe it was Pat Schroeder who peppered General Larry Welch about the incident in a committee hearing. Welch's reply was to the effect "it does not carry a payload."

I think of this when the UAV vs F-22 comes up, as if they do the same things. The F-22 was designed as an air superiority fighter. A Red Barron fighter. Fast, stealth, with its own internal Wild Weasel capability, it was designed and built to be the best in air-to-air combat against any air force anywhere in the world. It is not being used because it does not have an adversary in our current engagements. It is an Ace's Ace.

Other fighters are designed to be multi-role, fighter and strike, air-to-air and ground attack. The F-15 Eagle F-15E is a modified F-15, two seater, a Strike Eagle. The aircraft uses two crew members, a pilot and a weapon systems officer. Previous models of the F-15 are assigned air-to-air roles.

The F-35 is a multi-role fighter.
The F-22 was not designed to do what the UAVs are doing. The UAVs cannot perform the missions of an F-22 in a strike force.

I think the USAF wants about 240 total to have what they see as a minimum to keep an adequate number forward in oversea theaters while maintaining a training and rotation base at home in the CONUS. If you are on a force structure desk in the pentagon this argument makes a lot of sense. The budget guys, however, just say, I hear you, and then look at the numbers they must work within.

The core problem is the Obama administration's lack of understanding. This is not the time to throttle back on missile defense and to undercut our allies while playing nice to our adversaries who will not reciprocate--they will just up their demands for more preemptive disarmament.

...

Both make some good points. There does seem to be some pretty good push back so far against these proposed cuts. I think Obama may have miscalculated on the politics of the defense cuts.

That being said...
The USURPER OBAMA STILL GETS AN F- IN MY VIEW...

Much like Slick Willie's cannibalization of the U.S. Military for 8 years so he could claim a so-called surplus; left us with zero pieces of body armor and ripe for 911 when he left office, the Usurper Obama & Company are leaving us ripe for the next 911...

[gdcleanfun]

I'd give him a D+. He's done a few good things, but not many!

[JBozeman]

Can't agree with anybody who has a "Regime" in the Whitehouse. He is not interested in an Admistration.

I'll stop there because for me everything about his Regime is inflamatory! I had to many Ancestors who died in the Revolutionary War to keep such from happening to our Country. King George III now resides in the Whitehouse!

Take Care
Stay Safe
Boze

[ronwill]

The very few good things Obama has done:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us...etter-web.html

CNSNews.com - Obama Signs Law Banning Federal Embryo Research Two Days After Signing Executive Order to OK It

Obama signs expansion of children's health insurance - Los Angeles Times

[Bohemian]

Originally Posted by ronwill

The very few good things Obama has done:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/30/us...etter-web.html

CNSNews.com - Obama Signs Law Banning Federal Embryo Research Two Days After Signing Executive Order to OK It

Obama signs expansion of children's health insurance - Los Angeles Times

mmm... yeah right...