hussein's 100 hours

it is an american custom to cut a president some slack in the first 100 days of office before judging him too harshly.

with barack hussein obama though, it seems it took less than 100 hours in the oval office to establish himself an image as a decent leader for the u.s. and the world. even the israeli cease- fire in gaza and subsequent troop withdrawals, although with no direct and overt prompting on the part of obama's administation, apparently is written to his credit. his resolute closure of gitmo (2), determined atttempts to grapple the economic slump, even the spectacular inauguration party have evidently endeared him to a larger public than merely his contituents.

obama is not a landslide victor. he won a clear but not so overwhelming election majority. still, the confidence vested in him was spared even from bill clinton (1). the world practically expects hussein to set everything awry right again, as if he wields a magic wand. and the way he started, it is almost as if he does and he can.

as a matter of fact, if he plays it right, most "problems" plaguing america on a global scale require not much more than good leadership initiative, based mainly on good ideas that can render mutual beneficiarism a fine option. in other cases, that carrot just has to be tied to a stick "big" enough to allow for "soft speaking"; i.e., leadership with a firm hand that is not miserly when tipping. it is a fact that eight years of dubya cost too much in terms of american credibility and authority that must be restored. yet, hussein's first 100 hours have been encouraging and promising for the initiatory steps he can take in almost any direction, in the first 100 days.

probably since fdr, no president has had to carry such a load as obama, where every move he makes can affect the fate of all people in the world. at least he looks like he is light on his feet, if weighed down by the burden.

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(1) even in pre-monica times!
(2) instant leaked stories that released gitmo detainees flock with al kaida are an active indicator that obama's move is right. if the comings and goings to that ghost organization were really monitored so vigorously, those who join it should already have joined the ranks of ghosts or at least turncoats. the smell in the first 100 hours may thus raise the spectre of the hope that the paranoia clique in washington may be losing its grip on shaping reality.