On January 20, Obama made history by becoming the first African-American president of the United States. The 44th president told Oprah Winfrey that he thinks he deserves a B+ for his first-year efforts, even though his approval rating is below 50 percent in some polls. About 15 million Americans are without work, and the budget deficit is more than $1 trillion, but -- after a $787 billion stimulus package -- the economy seems to be improving slightly. And there's still an American auto industry.
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is not closed, the Iraq war's not over, and 30,000 more troops are going to Afghanistan. The Mideast peace process is stalled, and North Korea and Iran continue to play shell games with their nuclear ambitions.
Without any Republican votes, health care legislation made it through the Senate. The president acknowledged that people are justified if they're disappointed that the recent Copenhagen climate summit couldn't solve major differences between countries.
Depending on your point of view, you may rate some of those situations as successes or as failures.
Obama set a high bar when he promised change and transparency and then faced Washington's brutal partisanship. Whether his actions thrill or disappoint, no single person in the world today commands such attention.
On December 10, the president accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and said he viewed the decision less as a recognition of his own accomplishments than as a call to action. His opponents saw the prize as premature or unwarranted.
"Let us reach for the world that ought to be." Obama said. "We can understand that there will be war and still strive for peace."
The detention facility at Guantanamo Bay is not closed, the Iraq war's not over, and 30,000 more troops are going to Afghanistan. The Mideast peace process is stalled, and North Korea and Iran continue to play shell games with their nuclear ambitions.
Without any Republican votes, health care legislation made it through the Senate. The president acknowledged that people are justified if they're disappointed that the recent Copenhagen climate summit couldn't solve major differences between countries.
Depending on your point of view, you may rate some of those situations as successes or as failures.
Obama set a high bar when he promised change and transparency and then faced Washington's brutal partisanship. Whether his actions thrill or disappoint, no single person in the world today commands such attention.
On December 10, the president accepted the Nobel Peace Prize and said he viewed the decision less as a recognition of his own accomplishments than as a call to action. His opponents saw the prize as premature or unwarranted.
"Let us reach for the world that ought to be." Obama said. "We can understand that there will be war and still strive for peace."
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