by Holle Abee

Created on: January 22, 2009   Last Updated: January 26, 2009

I'm fifty years old and have been keeping up with politics since my teenage years. I can't recall any other politician who was both so loved and so hated as Barack Obama. Some on the far left see him as the savior of the world, while some right-wing extremists are conviced he's the Anti-Christ. Or at least that's how it was before November 4th.

Now, the tide seems to be turning slightly. Obama ran on a very liberal platform, which made the left ecstatic and the right furious. As he has moved closer and closer to the center, however, conservatives are warming up to him gradually, but many liberals are beginning to feel a little betrayed.

President Obama has inherited a terrible mess, both domestically and internationally. He has to deal with a faltering economy, a health care crisis, high unemployment, and wars in the Middle East. This will be a daunting task. His success lies in how he handles each of these problems. More important is how he is PERCEIVED to handle the aforementioned.

With our 24-7 news coverage, it's all about perception. Luckily for our new president, it seems that the mainstream media is on his side. To give you just one recent example: When George W. Bush spent some $40 million on his inauguration, the media had a field day deriding him for wasting so much money. Yet, few reporters said a word about the $150 million or so that Obama spent, even in these difficult economic times.

Obama has another thing going for him: a Democratic Congress to push through his agenda. He's also reaching out to Republicans, which is a smart move on his part. If he can be seen as a great unifier and a man of compromise, he will be successful in the eyes of the American public.

I was shocked to hear on the news yesterday that President Obama has assumed "ownership" of the multi-billion-dollar economic stimulus package. This was a bold move on his part. While I respect him for doing this, it could be very dangerous. If the package proves successful, he will be the hero, but if it fails, he will be the villain.

How Obama handles the war in Iraq is another hurdle he must clear. A major part of his platform was to remove our troops quickly after he took office. After conferring with generals on the ground and other military experts, however, his stance has softened somewhat. Now he says he will withdraw from Iraq in a "responsible" manner, beginning in sixteen months. I was glad to see that he was willing to listen to the experts.

Unlike Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Barack Obama is virtually "an unknown commodity." We have little basis for judging his leadership. He was largely "made" by the media, but they're a fickle bunch who can turn on a political figure in a heartbeat. Just ask Hillary and McCain. Woe be to Obama if they ever abandon him.

I didn't vote for Obama, but he's my president, and I'll support him as long as he does a good job and acts in the best interest of our nation. Believe it or not, most conservatives WANT him to do a good job. With congress, the media, and millions of devout supporters behind him, he has the rare opportunity to be a powerful entity for posive change. If he can bring an end to bi-partisan bickering, racism, and class warfare, and can ease tensions in the Middle East and pass legislation to improve the economy without plunging us into insurmountable debt, he will indeed be the "hero" we have long awaited. And I'll be first in line to vote for him in 2012.

In all honesty, however, it will be practically impossible for any one man to solve all our problems in four short years. I think as long as he makes real progress in most of these troublesome areas, he will be seen as successful and stands an excellent chance of being re-elected.

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