Still the Same

Now that Barack Obama is the 44th President of the United States, it is amazing how everything is the same. The was no immediate end to the recession, no immediate end to the war in Iraq and no immediate closing of the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. In fact, the stock market was down over 330 points today (actually closing below 8,000).

I am sure that the majority of those who traveled to the National Mall to witness history, expect immediate results from President Obama. After all, most of them have been engaged in idolatry in regarding to Mr. Obama since his victory in the Iowa Caucus a year ago. Unfortunately, I think that they will be disappointed.

As it relates to international relations, I, thankfully, do not see big changes on the horizon. Last week, the President said that it may take until the end of his first term for Guantanamo Bay to be closed. Four years is a long time to wait for change that you can believe in. In the past month, Mr. Obama has made no public statements regarding the Israeli military action in Gaza. Hardly an audacious stand. And, in fact, it may very well be tacit approval of the operation.

Of course, during his inaugural speech today, the President said that we can remain secure and not compromise our principals. I assume that that was a reference to coercive interrogation techniques. Since none of those techniques have been used in the past five years, it is a nice, meaningless bone to throw to those on the left who do not understand the nature of the threat that we face from Islamists. Query, when push comes to shove, and the situation is dire, will this administration come to the same conclusion as the previous administration - that coercive interrogation is not torture? Time will tell.

President Obama face enormous expectations. The political risk is that he falls short in the eyes of his supporters and those in Congress. Remember, the Congressional leadership is to the left of the tone set by the Obama transition. Likewise, the big money leftists (ie George Soros, Media Matters, Moveon.org) are in line with the Congressional leadership. It's hard to heal the planet overnight and those engaged in hero worship may not understand that.