Obama Era Begins Today!

Dr. Richard L. Benkin/ Asian Tribune/ Muslim India (Washington):-The avalanche of goodwill that soon to be US President Barack ObamaBarack Obama has generated should not eclipse the gargantuan task that faces him as he enters office, not only of the issues themselves but also of his being able to effectively tackle them. Moreover, whether it is the economy or any number of international matters, all of them will require that he support specific positions and make concrete decisions—something that he has been able to avoid doing throughout his political career.

Once he does, that good feeling will take a back seat to practical politics and the job of resolving these matters. Lawmakers’ will also feel obliged to defend what they believe to be their constituents’ interests and their own positions. Getting things done in Washington is not easy, and Obama has not been very effective in that regard as a US Senator.

Given the importance—and often divisiveness—inherent in the issues he must confront, we can expect that Obama’s "honeymoon," as it is termed in DC to last only as long as the opposition to his actions is weak. (The honeymoon is the initial time in a President’s term of office when opposition is muted to maintain good feeling.) Additionally, up until now, the implications of Obama’s positions have been marginal. Now, they will have real consequences at home and abroad, melting away the goodwill that many have for him.

But that is the job of a President and of a leader—to make the hard decisions even if they are unpopular. Up until now, Obama’s success has been based almost entirely on that good feeling; and it remains to be seen how he will react to its fading away as he gets down to work.

Obama has shown some deftness in many of the initial decisions he has made during his brief 75-day transition. His appointments and proposed “economic stimulus package” have sometimes been ideological, sometimes conciliatory. Congress tends to give presidents wide latitude in their appointments, although there was a lapse in that courtesy by the Democrats during the Bush era. Unless the appointment is shown to be guilty of corruption, some potential crime, shocking moral turpitude, or is caught in a serious lie, Congress tends to ignore political or ideological matters and votes to confirm. New Mexico Governor Bill RichardsonBill Richardson got a jump on that by withdrawing as Obama’s nomination to become Secretary of Commerce when it became known that he was under investigation for allegedly selling state contracts for campaign contributions.

Obama has been hailed for his bi-partisan judgment by nominating two Republicans to be in his cabinet. He asked Bush Defense Secretary William Gates to remain, and because he already holds the position does not need to be confirmed. He also has nominated fellow Illinoisan and former Republican Congressman Ray LaHoodRay LaHood to become Secretary of Transportation.

Without a doubt, however, Obama’s boldest decision was that of asking Evangelical Christian Pastor Reverend Rick Warren to give the invocation at his inauguration. Warren, whose church is in conservative Orange County, California, is a major opponent of gay marriage and credited with a significant role in passing a referendum which outlawed the practice in that state. There was a deluge of protests from liberal and gay activist groups, but Obama stuck to his guns nevertheless, telling the protestors to respect his decision to bring people of different viewpoints to the event. "We have to disagree without being disagreeable and then focus on those things that we hold in common as Americans."

Obama's appointment of Clinton, however, might signal a very critical change in US policy. For some time, Obama has been talking tough about Pakistan and about how he intends to shift US focus from Iraq and the Middle East to Afghanistan and South Asia. Nor has he made any secret of his irritation over Pakistan’s role in Islamic terror there. Clinton’s nomination is significant in that regard. During her primary fight with Obama, his campaign derisively referred to her as the “Senator from Punjab” because of her close ties with Indian interests. Given Obama’s stated position on Pakistan, those ties could signal the most significant shift in US foreign policy.

It is still too early to take a real measure of the man. Whether Obama will be up to the task that awaits him is still a big question for Americans—all of whom now wish him the best as our Commander-in-Chief.