The Obama Express

Ever since Obama's stunning debut on the national stage in 2004 at the Democratic Convention in Boston, he has offered hope and the promise of peace, prosperity and unity. Today, as I watched him and his family re-enact the Lincoln train journey from Philly to Washington, all of 137 miles, the sense of optimism amongst people was palpable.

That optimism stems from three things.
One- that in his cabinet, Obama has picked people on merit, not necessarily political affiliations.
Two- he is bright, speaks from the heart, is transparent about his agenda, and uncorrupted by Washington polarization.
Three- he pretty much started on the job on the morning of November 5 and so has a head start on the job!

While I love the jingoism, and God knows America can take every ray of hope it can get, my concern stems from the fact that he has probably the most difficult job that any President has had at least in the last half century. The economy is in shambles, US is an unwinnable and unpopular war abroad, terrorism is on the rise, and America is losing its competitive advantage on several fronts- education, energy, manufacturing, infrastructure just to name a few.
Where does he even start?
In my view, the first quintessential first 100 days are going to be crucial. And during that phase, he needs to do three things.
One- be as accessible as President as he has been as a candidate- to the media, to the public- speak directly to people so they can hear him, and make the connection from Barack the candidate, to Barack the statesman.
Two- make his economic plan clear- on stimulus, on banking, on bailouts, on creation of jobs. These are real issues for real people and the sooner he can make public his plans, the better it will be.
Three- He has to lay out a timetable for withdrawal from Iraq. Very few people understand the war, fewer still support it and so many lives have been lost there, just news about that would do a lot to uplift the spirit and mood of the country.

We will see how this all shapes up but as of now, the Obama Express is on a roll, both literally and figuratively.