Five National Security Questions for President Obama

President Obama is scheduled to have a press conference at 3PM today. Here are five questions on national security he should address:

1. Debt: Mr. President, earlier this year you said “we don’t have an immediate crisis in terms of debt.” On the other hand, when Admiral Mike Mullen was the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he said our national debt is the greatest threat to our national security. Even with sequester in place, the deficits of your budgets are still significantly larger than any single deficit of any of your predecessors. Moreover, your budgets are projected to add more to the debt than every other President in our history combined. How does your rhetoric compare with reality regarding our fiscal situation?
2. Al Qaeda: During the 2012 campaign you routinely said “al Qaeda has been decimated,” and during the 2012 State of the Union Address said “from Pakistan to Yemen, the al Qaeda operatives who remain are scrambling.” This week you ordered 19 U.S. diplomatic posts closed from Pakistan to Yemen and across the region due to threats from al Qaeda operatives. How does your rhetoric compare with reality regarding al Qaeda?
3. Libya: We are nearing the one-year anniversary of the assassination of our Ambassador to Libya and murder of three others there. The day after the attack you said you would “bring to justice the killers who attacked our people.” How does your rhetoric compare with reality in terms of bringing these terrorists to justice?
4. America’s standing in the world: In 2007 you said on the day of your inauguration the world would look at America differently. In 2009 you travelled to Cairo to offer “a new beginning” to the Muslim world, but largely ignored the issues in Egypt. In the 2011 State of the Union you asserted “American leadership has been renewed and America’s standing has been restored.” How does your rhetoric compare with a reality in which Russia hinders our efforts in Syria, there is no policy regarding Egypt, we are closing diplomatic posts under terrorist threat, and where there were anti-American protests in more than 30 countries at the end of last year?
5. Iran: In your presidential campaigns you promised your personal diplomacy would “pressure Iran to stop their illicit nuclear program.” By any measure, Iran continues to accelerate and expand its nuclear program. How does your rhetoric compare with reality on Iran’s nuclear program?