-
US President Barack Obama - Source: Reuters -
Watch Video
-
Related
President Barack Obama sought to reassure Americans he was
making progress tackling the economic crisis and in fixing the US
image abroad, but urged patience.
"We are off to a good start. But it is just a start," Obama told a
White House news conference as he assessed his first 100 days in
office and promised to keep up the whirlwind pace.
"I am pleased with our progress, but I am not satisfied."
Buoyed by high public approval ratings, Obama focused on the
jam-packed policy agenda he has pursued since his January 20
inauguration, topped by efforts to rescue the crippled economy and
to repair US relations with the rest of the world.
In just a few short months, Obama - a Democrat elected on a promise
of sweeping change - has implemented sharp reversals from his
Republican predecessor George Bush on issues ranging from the
economy and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to healthcare and
climate change.
Supporters and critics alike filled the airwaves with conflicting
assessments of Obama's record so far, but most analysts said it was
too early to judge whether his long list of initiatives would yield
success.
Even though the White House had dismissed the 100-day marker as a
symbolic point largely of interest to the media, it staged two
events - a townhall meeting in Missouri and a prime-time televised
news conference - for Obama to rally continued public
support.
Citing approval by the Democratic-controlled Congress of his US$3.4
trillion fiscal 2010 budget shortly before his news conference,
Obama insisted that his policies had put the country on the right
track but that there was more work to be done.
"But even as we clear away the wreckage of this recession, I have
also said that we cannot go back to an economy that is built on a
pile of sand," he said in his opening statement at the news
conference.
Foreign policy
"I also campaigned on the promise that I would change the direction
of our nation's foreign policy and we've begun to do that as well,"
Obama said.
He cited new strategies for Iraq and Afghanistan and his order to
close the internationally condemned military prison at Guantanamo
Bay, Cuba and to halt harsh interrogation methods for terrorism
suspects.
Obama was pressed on whether he believed waterboarding, a
now-banned interrogation method that simulates drowning and was
used under the Bush administration, amounted to torture as human
rights groups assert.
He said, "I do believe it is torture."
Obama also weighed in on the deteriorating situation in Pakistan
amid growing US concern about Islamabad's efforts to fight an
advancing Taliban insurgency.
He said he was confident about the security of Pakistan's nuclear
arsenal but was gravely concerned about conditions there because of
its weak government.
Defending his plan for winding down the unpopular six-year war in
Iraq, Obama said a string of deadly bombings in Iraq are a cause
for concern but that such incidents are low compared to a year ago.
He expressed confidence in the Iraqi government.
Calm words on flu outbreak
Obama also assured Americans his administration was ready to do
whatever it takes in response to a growing swine flu outbreak that
has presented him with his first public health emergency.
Obama aides are mindful of the political damage to Bush over the
government's inept handling of the devastating Hurricane Katrina in
2005.
Obama's 100-day mark was further clouded by growing questions about
Chrysler and General Motors, with the administration seeking ways
to retool the troubled US automakers for survival.
He said he was very hopeful that Chrysler LLC would again become
viable, but it remained unclear if the company would seek
bankruptcy.
The tradition of marking the first 100 days of US presidencies
dates back to Franklin Delano Roosevelt, who set the standard by
putting in place the building blocks of his New Deal programs to
pull the United States out of the Great Depression.
With his deliberative no-drama Obama style, the president has
sought a balanced tone between harsh economic reality and a more
hopeful future, which pollsters say has helped ease Americans'
anxieties in the midst of the worst economic crisis in
decades.
Underscoring the difficulties Obama faces, new government data on
Wednesday showed the economy contracted at a 6.1% annual rate in
the first quarter, a steeper-than-expected decline.
How do you think Obama has done in his first 100 days. Has
he lived up to the hype? Share your thoughts on the message board
below.
World News Video
-
Dangerous rush to Everest summit (1:59)
-
Dozens killed in Syrian massacre (2:09)
-
'King of Romance' competes in Eurovision (1:46)
Add a Comment:
Post new comment