by Sam Miller

Created on: February 21, 2009

The expectations for a successful tenure for President Barack Obama as President in his first 100 days in office are quite high among most Americans. Has President Obama has been able to justify the high expectations of most Americans?

We need to review the actions President Obama has taken to tackle some of the problems inherited from the George W Bush Administration. The current global economic crisis is the most serious challenge facing the Obama Administration, the economic meltdown has thrown 2 million Americans out of jobs and the foreclosure of thousands of homes, possibly rendering thousands of homeowners homeless. Americans are witnessing possibly the greatest economic downturn since the great depression of the early 1930's and stock market crash of 1929. The expectations are that Obama would immediately swing into action to halt the slide into oblivion. How has Obama faired on the domestic economic front? The economic stimulus package recently passed by Congress and signed into law by President Obama offers some hope that relief may soon come the way of homeowners and the big Detroit car makers.However is does not offer much hope to the average American family that has to endure the pains of lossing their jobs or homes, its like medicine after death for them. It is not possible to stimulate the growth of the economy and create 2 million jobs for Americans with wave of a magic wand of an economic stimulus package,it would take a long slow and painful process before the damage done to the economy could be to turned around. It is not impossible but is would probably take another three to four years before any tangible visible changes can take place

On the international scene, the proposed closure of the Guantanamo Bay Detention centre is a welcome development, America the bastion of democracy and freedom should not be seen to harbour a detention centre that detains and tortures prisoners on the pretext of fighting a war against terrorism without the conduct a trial for prisoners that will guarantee them a right to fair hearing. It has given the Uniteds States a bad name in the International Community

The conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East are front burner issues for the Obama Administration to tackle the appointmment of George Mitchelle and Richard Holbrooke as the envoys for the Middle East and Afghanistan respectively have sort of doused the tensions that the Obama Administration have serious intentions to bring about positive changes in these places. However, the despatch of an additional 16,000 American troops to Aghanistan is a strong signal that Obama intends to tackle the Taliban and the escalation of the conflicts in the Tribal border regions of Pakistan/Afghanistan more decisively.

The appointments into the Obama Cabinet has attracted more scrutiny for potential candidates following the Tom Daschle tax returns debacle.The slow process of appointments may put the breaks on the speed with which Obama started.More careful review of the records of the appointees to the cabinet is a good step in the right direction. However, care must be taken not to be overburden by too much bureaucracy in the appointments.

The apppointment of a Health Secretary that will bring sweeping reforms with a workable Health Care Plan a vital to the success of Obama's tenure in office, hopefully the right candidite would be named soon

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