Obama has delivered much of what he promised
In Print: Monday, January 24, 2011
Midway through his term, President Barack Obama has chalked up several significant achievements.
At the midpoint of his term, President Barack Obama has hewed close to what he promised voters. His achievements on economic stimulus, health reform, financial regulation and nuclear arms control are significant and ambitious. He is adapting to Republican gains in Congress. Now the question that looms before Tuesday's State of the Union address is whether the president can continue to tackle big issues such as energy, immigration and the federal deficit as he faces a Republican-controlled House and a re-election campaign.
It will take more time and a stronger economy for Americans to put into broader perspective how well the nation avoided a complete financial meltdown following the 2008 election. Many economists agree that the bank bailout started under President George W. Bush and handed off to Obama, as well as quick action by the Federal Reserve and Obama's moves to stimulate the economy, helped prevent another Great Depression. As it was, Obama came to office when the nation was in desperate financial straits, losing as many as 700,000 jobs per month.
Obama's efforts, including the $787 billion stimulus package, helped stanch the bleeding and began to gradually turn things around. The economy is slowly growing again and jobs are being gained, not lost, though job creation has a long way to go to absorb the millions of displaced workers. The president's decision to throw a financial lifeline to the auto industry helped the economy retain more than a million jobs and America's auto manufacturing base. And for those still unemployed, Obama fought for extended jobless benefits over Republican objections.
On foreign policy, Obama has fulfilled his promise to begin bringing combat troops out of Iraq. When he took office, there were about 142,000 troops there, and now that number is down to around 47,000. Obama also promised to shift the military's focus and commitment to the war in Afghanistan, which he has done, though significant success on the ground remains elusive.
Obama was able to shepherd through the Senate a nuclear arms control treaty with Russia, and his efforts to address loose nukes have borne fruit, with commitments from 47 countries to secure their nuclear material within four years.
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