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Today in class, we discussed Obama and his presidency and also what he has and hasn’t accomplished while in office. This got me thinking about what Obama has done as compared to other presidents in his first year in office and if it is really realistic to expect a lot, and if Obama has accomplished what is to be expected of him. After looking at all the he promised to change if he was elected, and what he really has jumped on and worked to change, it really seems that Obama is doing much of what he promised.  I know that in an earlier post I said that he hasn’t accomplished much of what he promised and that it will take a long time to get there, but as I reexamine exactly what he has done whether it merely be a step in that direction or definitive action, I see that perhaps he has done more than I originally thought.  Sure there are things that he promised that he probably realized were unrealistic and so he hasn’t done anything about them, but I think he has chosen many of the most important things to work on first.

Obama has taken a huge step in encouraging the creation and passage of a landmark piece of legislation, the health care bill, which seems to be on its way to being enacted. On running for office, Obama promised to get a health care bill that would guarantee health care for everyone, one that would help to improve the health of America. Although it hasn’t passed yet, I think that the fact that it is currently being debated in the Senate is a very hopeful sign of what Obama is doing. Nothing this huge has been passed in many years, so when and if it does pass, its passage will be a huge testimony to Obama’s action.

Another thing that Obama has done is set a plan for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan. Although Bush entered us into the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and planned to set a timetable for American withdrawal, he failed to do so. On running for office, Obama promised to remove the U.S. from the war and to do it in a timely fashion. This he appears to be doing. Even though he hasn’t actually pulled the U.S. out of the wars, he recently set down a timetable for doing so. He is taking steps toward that end, and even though it may not seem that he is doing anything definitive, I would argue that he is.  I think that even small steps in the direction of American withdrawal qualify as action, even if it isn’t the immediate action that the American people might expect. I’m sure he has reasons for not expediting the withdrawal and so I think that we nee to trust that he is doing it as fast as he feels he is able even if it doesn’t seem to be the action that we expected.

Another thing that he promised was to stop the proliferation of nuclear weapons, and in doing that to stop Iran from acquiring them. Even though he hasn’t decided to invade Iran to forcefully stop them from enriching nuclear material, I would argue that even the diplomatic talks and threats of sanctions are actions in themselves toward slowing Iran. Also, his gaining support of China and Russia on the issue of stopping Iran’s nuclear enrichment program is progress in itself. Again it may not be the action that we expect, but it is action and progress.  So, I would argue that Obama has indeed accomplished things, but it may just not be in the way that we expected.

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