Day 2: Enaction in Action

I think it was Jon Stewart who was talking last night about how George Bush must've had the biggest smile on his face when Obama and Chief Justice John Roberts flubbed the presidential oath.

Well wipe that smile off Dubuya, because now Barack Obama is officially the 44th President of the United States, and in spite of his one verbal slip (assisted by a Bush appointee no less), I think you're still winning in that category by a nice margin.  You're right, this blog is objective.  Sorry.

Now, Alex touched on a few things, such as Obama's plan to close the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility, the proposed $825 Billion recovery package, and the freezing of senior White House staff pay.  What Alex forgot to mention, I think simply due to a lack of time and not a lack of importance, was Obama's proposal to draw troops out of Iraq in 16 months.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that Obama has come out with these statements, especially this early in the game.  Obama perhaps has the smallest margin for error and highest expectations for any incoming president in recent history.  In spite of this, he's come out of the box swinging and it doesn't seem as if he's going to let up anytime soon.  While he hasn't had a heart-to-heart with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, he's already reached out to King Abdullah of Jordan, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.

Hillary Clinton was officially sworn in...as Secretary of State.  Sorry Hil.

Who will be the other United States Senator for New York???  Caroline Kennedy?  Not Caroline Kennedy?  All I know is that it's getting lonely for Chuck Schumer down in Washington and eventually someone's going to have to keep him company.

Anyway, it's clear that Obama is going to do his best to fulfill his promises and he let the American people know that today.

-JMR