This is pretty obvious, but seems to have eluded Donald Trump. Any President inherits a lot. It takes time to install your own people. It takes time to implement economic policy, increase defense spending, etc. The first year belongs to the prior President and Congress.
Bush was behind the usual schedule because he had the distraction of fending off Gore’s attempt to steal the election. Bush wanted to be the “education President.” That wouldn’t have been my choice, but many thought it OK.
Shortly after 9/11, the Democrat position was “now is not the time to cast blame.” The reason is that Americans would likely blame Clinton and the Democrats. Clinton should have made the US safe for the next President, as Bush made the US safe the next President.
I fear that Obama has facilitated Muslim sleeper cells in the US. If a Republican is elected (maybe even a Democrat) there may be a lot attacks in 2017. Whose fault? Mostly Obama’s.
This morning he bragged that if he had been president would not have happened. Yeah right.