Promises That Obama's Apparently Forgotten

Lesser known disappointments, from the moon to the peace corps
By Kevin Spak,  Newser Staff
Posted Jan 2, 2011 9:32 AM CST
Promises That Obama's Apparently Forgotten
Barack Obama speaks at the White House in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)

“There’s not a single thing that I’ve said that I would do that I have not either done or tried to do,” President Obama boasted to reporters this month. Yeah, right. Salon found plenty of evidence to the contrary, including these lesser-known broken campaign promises:

  • The State of the World speech: In 2007, Obama promised an annual “State of the World” address on national security. We’re still waiting.
  • Returning to the moon: Candidate Obama said he supported returning to the moon by 2020. But in his 2011 budget, he blasted NASA’s moon program as “over budget, behind schedule, and lacking in innovation,” complaining it had drawn funding from more important priorities.

  • Doubling the Peace Corps: Obama’s campaign literature promised to “double the Peace Corps” for 2011. Instead his budget calls for only a modest boost.
  • Waiting before signing: Obama promised to give the public five days to comment on all non-emergency legislation before he signed it. He broke that one in 10 days flat, with his swift signing of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.
  • Immigration: In 2008, Obama guaranteed he’d strongly push an immigration bill in his first year. We’re still waiting on that one, too.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

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