Taking Inventory

Scarcely forty days have passed since Barack Obama took the oath of office, replacing George W. Bush as president of the United States. Whereas most presidents are given about a hundred-day honeymoon, Obama had to prove a little more, and spared no feelings out of the gate.

One of the higher priorities of the new administration is the federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research. Another is the development of "green" technology. Right off the bat we understood that Obama's progressive credentials were not exactly tin stars.

Belief in science: Restored.

Then came Obama's Rooseveltian plan to provide debt relief to people who are in jeopardy of losing their homes. Refinancing at lower interest rates will soak up bad mortgages, suturing the foreclosure artery and freeing up consumer capital. His designs on universal health care (basically an extension of Medicare benefits to all Americans) are also aimed at preventive medicine, which experts believe will save us billions of dollars.

Fiscal responsibility: Restored.

Obama, coming from a large midwestern city, understands the problems that have beset the rust belt for so long, problems that were abjectly ignored by the Republicans when they were in power. After months of pounding that cold pavement, two of my siblings are finally getting call-backs, from Barack Obama's Social Security Administration.

Worker confidence: Restored

One of the more recent - and controversial - moves that the new Commander in Chief has made involves the returning mortal remains of our soldiers who were killed overseas. Under Republican rule, photographs of this somber reality were forbidden, so the public never had to confront the consequences of our actions. Obama lifted that rule (provided the families of the deceased give their permission).

First Amendment: Restored

Equally noteworthy is the fact that Obama has repeatedly stated that America does not torture. Combined with his aspirations to close the detainee prisons at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, our policies are changing at a rate of 180 degrees.

Our good standing in the world: Restored.

Now the president has laid out his plan to remove U.S. forces from Iraq by the end of August 2011. This would, after so many lives and years have been lost, signal the reversal of the worst foreign policy blunder ever to plague this great nation. This will allow us to focus on more troublesome Afghanistan in hopes of preventing it from becoming the next Vietnam.

Hope for peace (if handled properly): Restored

That's an awful lot of forward motion, which was absolutely necessary, in less than six weeks. Stay tuned, unless you happen to be a conservative, in which case we'll come along once in awhile and water your head which is stuck so firmly in the ground. With any luck, one day, it will bloom.

pH 3.o2.o9