CNN

As President Obama marks his first anniversary in the White House and the State of the Union approaches, there's criticism coming at him from all corners.

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

New York Times columnist Paul Krugman writes that doubts he had about the president – since the primaries – have been realized... including that Mr. Obama may not be ready to fight for what his supporters want.

In a piece called "he wasn't the one we've been waiting for," Krugman describes the president talking about health care... saying lawmakers should "try to move quickly to coalesce" around elements of the bill that people agree on. Krugman mocks the message – saying it's like the president is telling lawmakers to "run away."

And When Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was asked about Krugman's critique – he ducked the question.

Meanwhile from the right, Pat Buchanan suggests that white voters are one group that might be of particular concern to the president.

In a column called "Has Obama lost white America?"... Buchanan explains how the racial breakdown of the vote in recent elections in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia could spell trouble for the president.

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

The Pentagon report into the massacre at Fort Hood that left 13 dead is a joke. There is no mention of the suspect's views of Islam. None.

In fact, the 86-page report doesn't even once mention Major Nidal Hasan by name. It lumps in radical Islam with other fundamentalist religious beliefs... and instead focuses on things like military personnel policies and the emergency response to the Nov. shootings.

This despite the fact that Hasan made no secret of his radical Islamic faith. He allegedly proselytized to his fellow service members and spoke out against the wars the U.S. military is waging in Muslim counties.

John Lehman, a member of the 9/11 Commission, tells Time magazine the Pentagon's silence on Islamic extremism "shows you how deeply entrenched the values of political correctness have become." The Texas Congressman whose district includes Fort Hood says this report "ignores the elephant in the room – radical Islamic terrorism is the enemy."

The Pentagon acknowledges it didn't focus so much on Hasan's motives as on "actions and effects." They say they didn't want to interfere with the criminal probe into Hasan. Garbage.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Times are tough – very tough – for millions of Americans... but you could never tell by watching the way Congress spends our tax dollars on themselves.

CBS News has a stunning report on the all-expense paid trip at least 20 members of Congress made to the Copenhagen climate summit last month.

The bipartisan delegation led by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi was so large – it needed three military jets – two 737s and a Gulfstream Five. Some members brought along their spouses, children... plus there were also senators and staff members who made the trip to Denmark – most of them flying commercial.

Pelosi wouldn't answer any questions about costs or where they all stayed – even though she was the one who decided who went. Her office says only that it will "comply with disclosure requirements."

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

When Democrats swept into power in Congress and the White House last year – a big part of their message was running against the record of the Bush administration.

And some are hoping that strategy works for them again in the 2010 midterm elections.

The web site Talking Points Memo reports Democrats plan to tell voters that Republicans only want to turn back the clock to the Bush era. They say the Republican Party in Washington today is no different than the one that ran Congress before.

Also Democrats insist the party won't take the same kind of beating at the hands of Republicans that it did back in 1994. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says they "fully intend to be in the majority" after November – and other party leaders say they're more prepared this time.

They better hope they are, considering poll numbers that show support for the Democratic Party slumping. A new Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll shows only 35-percent of voters have positive feelings for the Democratic party – that's down 14-points since February.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Here we go again... Five Transportation Security Administration employees are now on "administrative leave" after a sensitive airport security manual was posted on the Internet.

Here's some of what was revealed:

• Who is exempt from certain additional screening measures

• Examples of identification documents that screeners accept

• And details of the screening process and the limitations of x-ray machines.

This comes weeks after three Secret Service officers were put on leave while that agency investigates how it allowed those two morons to crash a White House State Dinner.

Government employees who are found compromising national security are placed on "administrative leave." Gee... give me some of that. They sit home and do nothing while they continue to collect their paychecks. That's some "punishment." We have 10-percent unemployment in this country – yet try firing a government employee for anything short of a felony conviction. Can't be done.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Majority Leader Harry Reid is the top cheerleader for health care reform in the Senate... and this support for the bill might just wind up costing him his Nevada Senate seat.

That's because a growing number of Nevadans don't support health care reform...

A Las Vegas Review-Journal poll shows 53 percent of registered voters oppose the president's health care plan while only 39 percent approve of it.

Majorities of Nevadans are also opposed to a public option, believe that the reform plan would raise taxes, and that it would lead to the rationing of health care. Worse yet – ahead of his re-election bid next year, only 39 percent approve of Reid's efforts to get a bill though the Senate.

Evidence suggests that although most Democrats support Reid's efforts... that probably won't be enough to outweigh the disapproval of most independents and Republicans. One pollster says Reid is carrying the flag for this reform and "You remember what happened historically to flag bearers in war. The flag bearer gets shot first."

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Bipartisanship in Washington is virtually non-existent these days – except for President Obama's new strategy for Afghanistan.

A new CNN/Opinion Research Corporation Poll – conducted after the president's speech this week – shows his plan wins approval from 63 percent of Democrats, a whopping 72 percent of Republicans and 55 percent of Independents. Gee, with a consensus like that you could actually run the country.

The president is getting thumbs-up from people more inclined to extend their middle fingers when it comes to things Democratic. Karl Rove says that the president's speech "deserves to be cheered" and insists victory is attainable.

Newt Gingrich is out praising President Obama for showing political courage on Afghanistan... in going against the anti-war left in his own party.

This is not to say that there aren't critics of the president's Afghanistan strategy in both parties, but on the whole, he's getting support – at least for now. If it doesn't go as planned, all bets are off. But at least for a few minutes we have the leadership of the country agreeing on something.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Abortion is the political hot potato that could derail health care reform entirely.

It caused major disagreements in the House – and the Senate is now wrestling with how to address the issue. Democrat Ben Nelson says he will introduce an anti-abortion amendment... and that he won't vote for the health care bill unless this language gets added.

Nelson and others aren't satisfied with Majority Leader Harry Reid's current plan – that is to forbid including abortion coverage as a required medical benefit – but to allow a new government insurance plan to cover abortions and let private insurers that get federal money offer plans that include coverage for abortion.

In the House – a group of anti-abortion Democrats added restrictions that would forbid any health plan that gets federal money from paying for abortions – except in the case of rape, incest or to save the mother's life. Also under the House bill, a new government insurance plan couldn't offer abortions – and women would have to buy separate coverage for abortion services.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

When it comes to Afghanistan, President Obama better be right. After months of meetings and criticism that he was "dithering" and "weak" on Afghanistan – he finally made what may be the most important decision of his presidency.

But the announcement to deploy 30,000 additional troops is cloaked in contradiction. We're going to rush more troops in so we can begin to rush them out in 18 months. The Taliban and al Qaeda will probably make a note of this timetable.

You don't suppose the decision to withdraw in July of 2011 would have anything to do with the President's 2012 re-election campaign do you?

There was no mention of how we're going to pay for this. The 30,000 additional troops will cost an additional $30 billion in the first year.

Where's that money going to come from? Some Democrats are calling for a so-called "war surtax." But With a fragile U.S. economy, an unemployment rate topping 10-percent, and a costly health care reform plan on the table – there may not be much appetite for that.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

It's an idea that's long past due and it will probably never happen...

A group of Republican senators is proposing a Constitutional amendment to set congressional term limits – 12 years for the Senate and six years for the House.

Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina says real change will never happen in Washington until there's an end to the era of permanent politicians. DeMint says lawmakers have been re-elected about 90 percent of the time over the last 20 years – because the system favors incumbents.

We all know the drill: Some spend decades in Washington, get into bed with the special interest groups that feed their campaign coffers and forget all about the people they're supposed to represent.

And we've heard this before... Republicans who gained control of the House in 1994 promised to pass congressional term limits, but once they were in power, they failed to deliver. The Supreme Court later ruled term limits were unconstitutional – which is why this group of senators is trying to change the Constitution.

In order to pass, two-thirds of the House and Senate would have to approve the amendment – along with three-fourths of the 50 states.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Call it CBS News versus the White House.

CBS reports that President Obama intends to give General Stanley McChrystal most – if not all – of the 40,000 troops he's asking for in Afghanistan. They say the president has tentatively decided to send four combat brigades plus thousands of more support troops.

According to CBS, the troop buildup would last for about four years – until the Afghan military doubles in size. This surge would mean the number of U.S. troops would grow from the current 68,000 to about 100,000 by the end of the president's first term.

But the White House insists the CBS story is false. They call reports that the president has made a decision about Afghanistan "absolutely false." They say Mr. Obama still hasn't received or reviewed "final options" with his national security team.

So – who's telling the truth here? It comes down to the word of the Obama White House against the network of Edward R. Murrow and Walter Cronkite.

Of course... CBS News also saw Dan Rather step down in 2005 after apologizing for a report that questioned President George W. Bush's National Guard service. Rather said the report was based on false documents.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

It's been one year since President Obama defeated John McCain and rode into office promising "change we can believe in."

So – what has he done in the first year?

Some say Mr. Obama's biggest accomplishments have been keeping the financial crisis from becoming worse... and improving America's image abroad.

Democrats credit the $787 billion economic stimulus package with rescuing the economy... although Republicans call it a big waste... and with nearly 10 percent unemployment, the country is still waiting for the jobs to come back.

The president and Congress have spent most of the first year wrestling with health care reform and if we get anything at all – it's probably going to fall far short of meaningful reform.

Meanwhile President Obama has done nothing to regulate Wall Street or close the nation's borders. The deficits are beyond absurd. The wars continue – as does most of the government secrecy left over from the Bush administration.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

With Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats unveiling their 1,990 page health care reform bill – it made us wonder about other landmark pieces of legislation in U.S. history and how long they were.

• The original draft of the 1935 Economic Security Act, which established the Social Security Administration was 64 pages

• The Civil Rights Act of 1964 – forbidding discrimination based on race and sex: 8 pages

• The 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving Women the right to vote in 1920: 1 page

• The Emancipation Proclamation, with which Abraham Lincoln freed the slaves in 1863: 5 pages

• Or, if you really want to get back to basics: The Declaration of independence came in at 1 page in 1776

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

As Sarah Palin prepares to release her memoir next month, it seems like so much of her life is already an open book. Palin - who quit as Governor of Alaska in the middle of her first term - has been having a nasty public battle with the father of her grandson.

Levi Johnston - the former boyfriend of Palin's daughter, Bristol - says Sarah Palin describes her son Trig, who has Down syndrome, as "retarded." Johnston also claims to know a lot more about what went on in the Palin household - so presumably, there is more tabloid trash to come.

Sarah Palin is pushing back - calling Johnston's claim "inflammatory," and saying Trig is their "blessed little angel" who knows it and is lovingly called that every day of his life.

Palin also suggests that Johnston - who is preparing for a photo shoot with Playgirl Magazine - is desperate for publicity. Sort of like Sarah Palin is.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Some Democrats are calling it the "Obama hangover."

Even with President Obama on the campaign trail, at fund-raising events and taping TV ads for many state and local candidates – it seems like the electricity of the 2008 campaign is a distant memory.

The Los Angeles Times reports how much tougher it is to get people fired up to volunteer and vote Democrat this time around. And, as President Obama tries to address health care, the economy and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq – some of his decisions may not sit well with voters at the local level.

A lot of eyes are on the races for governor in New Jersey and Virginia; and a congressional race in upstate New York's 23rd district.

With election day a week away – things aren't looking so hot for Democrat Creigh Deeds in Virginia... One new poll shows him trailing Republican Bob McConnell by 11 points. Meanwhile – White House officials have been complaining about the quality of Deeds' campaign... gee, think they're trying to distance themselves from him?

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

A majority of gun owners think President Obama wants to ban gun sales.

A new Gallup poll shows 55 percent of those who own a gun, 53 percent who have a gun in the household, and 41 percent of all Americans believe he will attempt to ban the sale of guns while he is president.

This concern is greater among Republicans and people living in the South and Midwest than among Democrats or those living on either coast.

It also helps explain the sharp increases in sales of guns and ammunition. There are reports that U.S. bullet-makers are working around the clock and still can't keep up with the demand for ammunition. Shooting ranges and gun dealers say they've never seen such shortages.

However, President Obama has never said - as a candidate or as president - that he intends to push for a ban of gun sales. The president has said that he believes in the Second Amendment and that "lawful gun owners have nothing to fear." In May, he signed a law allowing people to carry loaded guns in national parks.

Nonetheless, gun rights advocates point to Mr. Obama's record as a state legislator and U.S. senator where he "voted for the most stringent forms of gun control."

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

When it comes to Afghanistan, the Obama White House keeps pointing fingers at President Bush. Although the war is in its ninth year - they make it sound like things are back to square one.

Chief of Staff Rahm Emmanuel says President Obama is asking the questions that have never been asked on the civilian side, the political side, the military side and the strategic side - a not-so-thinly-veiled reference to Obama's predecessor.

As President Obama continues to delay his decision whether to send as many as 40,000 more troops into battle - the latest excuse is the runoff election in Afghanistan - the tide is turning against the war here at home.

A new CNN-Opinion Research Corporation Poll shows 59 percent of Americans are opposed to sending more troops into Afghanistan...only 39 percent support sending troops – and 28 percent say we should withdraw all U.S. forces.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

The Obama White House may have started another war it can't win.

On yesterday's Sunday talk shows - Senior Adviser David Axelrod said of Fox News, "It's not really news. It's pushing a point of view.” And he asked that other news organizations not treat Fox like it's news.

The president's Chief of Staff, Rahm Emanuel, also said Fox is "not a news organization so much as it has a perspective."

This all started when White House communications director Anita Dunn called Fox an arm of the Republican Party and said the Obama administration would treat the cable news network as they would an "opponent."

Dunn is now in a dust-up with Fox News' Glenn Beck, concerning a speech where she quoted Communist leader Mao Tse Tung. Beck calls that "insanity."

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

Americans are mad as hell… and they're keeping both big business and government in the crosshairs. The Wall Street Journal reports that historically the public focuses its anger on either one institution or the other — but not this time.

On the one hand, people are frustrated with the Wall Street failures that led to this financial mess; and they’re outraged at ongoing situations like bonus payouts at AIG. But Americans also see too much involvement by Congress and the federal government — accusing the administration of "socialism" and a "takeover" of the economy.

What's interesting here is some don't see government and business as opposing forces, rather they see "a unified elite pursuing one big swindle." For example — the government using hundreds of billions of dollars of taxpayers' money to bail out banks and automakers.

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here

Join the conversation on Jack's blog.

In an attempt to make sure health care reform doesn't get rammed through Congress with little debate - a group of Senate Republicans has introduced a resolution requiring all bills be made public for at least 72 hours before a vote.

Not a bad idea. Since many in Congress don't read the bills before voting, maybe somebody should.

Over in the House, a group of more than 180 - mostly Republicans - is circulating a petition also requiring all bills to be posted online for three days. They're demanding the Democratic leadership schedule a vote on this. No vote so far, although Speaker Nancy Pelosi has pledged to post the final health care bill online 72 hours before the last vote.

But it's not just Republicans pushing for more transparency. A group of centrist Senate Democrats sent a letter to Majority Leader Harry Reid this week saying "every step of the process needs to be transparent" - they also asked for three days for the public to look at this stuff on the internet.

There's also an online campaign called Read the Bill along with a group called Read to Vote that's collected more than 80,000 signatures asking lawmakers to promise to read every page of every bill before voting. That'll happen…

To read more and contribute to the Cafferty File discussion, click here