There was a lot of early speculation that the Obama presidency would be another FDR presidency in which the depth of the economic recession would lead to programs that would offer the public a chance to partake of government largesse in a time of great need. The recession of 07-10, though pretty awful, hardly compares with the Great Depression with an unbelievable amount of suffering for so many people. But the stimulus, health care reform and the extensions of unemployment insurance have been a great help to many. More needs to be done to help those losing homes. It would be a good thing for the overall economy if the so-called Bush tax cuts would expire this year. The people getting those tax cuts don't need them and the economy would be in better shape without people at the very top of the financial scale getting breaks. And the wars winding down and a significant re-thinking of the strategy in Afghanistan would be useful as well. FDR had WWII to deal with and nobody seems to think he had much choice in creating a war machine to take on the Axis. But Bush's Iraq War (which continues to be devastating in terms of suicide bombings that seem to never end) was never in the 'necessary' category, no matter how much Hitchens and Blair continue to brag about the wonders of removing Hussein from power. Afghanistan has been going on for ten years and Pakistan is also in the mix of attempts at re-making a realm resistant to the democratic dreams of the Right...Obama from this commentary's perspective has done a pretty fair job on many fronts. No, he is not FDR; and the obstructionists in the Republican congress have opposed him on every initiative. They do not want to govern, and hopefully the people will not reward this kind of stubborn nay-saying. But Obama, after the disgraced Bush was removed from power, came with a powerful mandate for change and perhaps it could be argued that the promise was greater than his capacity to deliver. We shall see how this goes in the next couple years. I remain hopeful that the economy can recover and unemployment go down, though the global marketplace, with China and India making giant strides (though per capita income for workers remains low and stagnant) is a great challenge. But innovations and ideas for a greener world abound and last night there was a show about a company making an experimental green small car which will get 100 mpg, and who knows where the world might go in this time of transition. We shall stay tuned.

Bill Pearlman