Give America a Break

Obama attempts to break the American from the old habits, values, behaviors with new ones which is coined into the words "Obama style".

This is a huge social engineering only possible at a time of crisis when people are aware and willing to take actions to change. This historical chance just rightly falls in the hands of Obama who advocates change all along the way from the Congress to White House. How and what has and will "Obama style" change over the past 100 days?

100 days are definitely not long enough to draw the whole picture of his presidency but it is long enough to depict outline of it. Thus, some parts are clear and some are still murky; some are successful, yet some have to be judged by time.

Economics is the murky part clouded with the uncertainty of the financial system mired in the power struggling between Capitol Hill, White House and Wall Street. Obama seems underestimate the setback from the Wall Street which will definitly pose a negetive effect to the bail-out negociation with Congress aftermath, which simply means a long economical recuperation rather than a bounce wihtin one or two years. This prediction is buttressed by the fact that Obama fails to overhaul the bank system, head-to-toe, soup-to-nuts. The time is not yet gone but trickling away. Obama needs to try harder.

His willingness to listen wins lots of goodwills abroad. The amicable atmosphere in the Fifth Summit of the Americas is a flashing sign. This opens enormous opportunities for mutual and regional cooperation for the United States. Obama is smart but it is just a start. Only when the conflicts of interets brought onto the table will we actually know the diplomacy philosophy of Obama. One thing worth notice is that his choice of Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of States may reflect one facet of this ideology. The United States is willing to listen now when friends are needed, yet adamant on its interests when friends are not listening.

What is clear is that Obama opens the ears and eyes of America to listen to and see the world. He, like a shepherd, leads and exhorts America to take the responsible action on enviromental and financial responsibilities neglected for decades. He strikingly sets a break by his style to American from the old to the new.