Obama @ 200 Days: Brief Reflections
America just reached another milestone. Obama just finished his 6th Month in Office. I saw CNN's National Report Card. It gave the President a "C ". I wonder if that truly matters in the grand scheme of things.
This so-called report card was based on a poll done in which people sent in their comments. As this report card came in, I saw poll numbers dropping for the President as well. It reminded me of the campaign, when everyone wrote the President and wanted the President to "get mad". But, one has to remember what he has actually done. Under his watch, the stimulus was passed. Under his watch, Judge Sotomayor will be Justice Sotomayor as of Saturday. Under his watch, The Securities and Exchange Commision is back with a vengenace. The SEC just imposed a $ 50 Million Dollar fine on GE for accouting irregularities. While navigating through all the minefields, he worked on freeing the American Sailor in Somali Hands and got the new imprisoned American Journalists back to the United States.
One of the more refreshing things I have seen is the advent of "Smart Power" that Secretary Clinton talked about when she spoke during her first day at Work at the State Department.
When the reports came in on President Clinton's Mission to bring the jouranlists home, I reported on it in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the Journalists came back to the United States. Although they were convicted and sentenced to 12 years hard labor, it appears that they were staying in a State Guest House. This, to me, showed that Kim Jung IL wanted to make a political point--and he did. Maybe this is indeed the opening necessary to get the North Koreans to come to their senses.
There are challenges on the domestic front. Healthcare seems to continue to be a challenge. I almost fell out of my chair when Max Baucus said that a decision will be made if the Republicans will not come onboard on whether to go it alone or not. The continued deficits that gives people pause will be of concern. The Right will truly have a field day especially on the deficits. As the domestic challenges loom, there is Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq. Of the three, I view Afghanistan as the most worrisome. I have written at length about my utter disdain for Karzai and all that has gone wrong in Afghanistan. The Taliban hold sway over most of the Country in some fashion. I am not sure if the apparent killing of Betullah Masoud will necessarily tame the Taliban either in Pakistan or Afghanistan. There has to be a way to figure out how to end this thing. Too many have died and the country has suffered for too long.
This so-called report card was based on a poll done in which people sent in their comments. As this report card came in, I saw poll numbers dropping for the President as well. It reminded me of the campaign, when everyone wrote the President and wanted the President to "get mad". But, one has to remember what he has actually done. Under his watch, the stimulus was passed. Under his watch, Judge Sotomayor will be Justice Sotomayor as of Saturday. Under his watch, The Securities and Exchange Commision is back with a vengenace. The SEC just imposed a $ 50 Million Dollar fine on GE for accouting irregularities. While navigating through all the minefields, he worked on freeing the American Sailor in Somali Hands and got the new imprisoned American Journalists back to the United States.
One of the more refreshing things I have seen is the advent of "Smart Power" that Secretary Clinton talked about when she spoke during her first day at Work at the State Department.
When the reports came in on President Clinton's Mission to bring the jouranlists home, I reported on it in KP's sister site, Outsider Views. I knew that it was only a matter of time before the Journalists came back to the United States. Although they were convicted and sentenced to 12 years hard labor, it appears that they were staying in a State Guest House. This, to me, showed that Kim Jung IL wanted to make a political point--and he did. Maybe this is indeed the opening necessary to get the North Koreans to come to their senses.
There are challenges on the domestic front. Healthcare seems to continue to be a challenge. I almost fell out of my chair when Max Baucus said that a decision will be made if the Republicans will not come onboard on whether to go it alone or not. The continued deficits that gives people pause will be of concern. The Right will truly have a field day especially on the deficits. As the domestic challenges loom, there is Iran, Afghanistan and Iraq. Of the three, I view Afghanistan as the most worrisome. I have written at length about my utter disdain for Karzai and all that has gone wrong in Afghanistan. The Taliban hold sway over most of the Country in some fashion. I am not sure if the apparent killing of Betullah Masoud will necessarily tame the Taliban either in Pakistan or Afghanistan. There has to be a way to figure out how to end this thing. Too many have died and the country has suffered for too long.
Mike Pouraryan
