Obama's silent revolution takes off

Paul Harris article in The Observer


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In his first 100 hours in power, Barack Obama reversed many policies put in place by George W Bush, ranging from curbing lobbyists to closing Guantánamo to appointing new special envoys to the world's trouble spots.

The new era of Obama dawning in America's capital has begun well, receiving rave reviews from the media and even winning grudging respect from Republicans. It has been a frenetic few days as Obama and his top staff have struggled to move into their new homes and offices, as well as trying to impose a dramatic new direction from day one. Few experts think it could have gone much better. "Expectations and anticipation are clearly high and it is unfair to put that on anyone's shoulders. But if anyone can live up to those expectations, it is him. It is like suddenly the adults are in charge again," said Professor Shawn Bowler, a political scientist at the University of California at Riverside.

But those very expectations are a problem. Few presidents have entered the Oval Office amid such a mixture of hope and fear. The economic crisis has many ordinary Americans in a panic and looking to Washington for a steady hand. At the same time Bush has departed as a hugely unpopular leader, seen by many as a disaster for America, both at home and abroad, and so Obama is seen as almost a revolutionary change.

Certainly Obama has moved quickly to try to live up to those expectations. It began in the first minutes of his presidency, when he delivered an inaugural speech that was a stinging attack on Bush's legacy. As Bush listened, Obama rejected many of the key planks of Bush's rule, from national security policy to the misuse of science. Washington had seen nothing like it since Franklin Roosevelt rebuked Herbert Hoover in 1933 by saying: "The money-changers have fled from their high seats in the temple of our civilisation." No wonder Bush's top aides were rankled on the plane home to Texas, openly complaining about Obama's tone.

Not that Obama or his staff cared. During the first three full days of his presidency, Obama and his team pushed through a series of measures and appointments signalling a new beginning. Yesterday was also a working day, as Obama unveiled details of the massive economic stimulus package he intends to force through Congress, despite Republican reservations.

The most dramatic move was the order to close the Guantánamo terrorist detention centre in Cuba. The jail had become a rallying cause for critics of America worldwide and Obama's swift move is likely to rehabilitate much of America's reputation abroad. Obama also effectively banned the CIA's controversial practice of rendition and closed off its ability to use torture techniques to interrogate suspects abroad. The diplomatic offensive continued with the appointment of former Senator George Mitchell as a special envoy to the Middle East and former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke to the same post for Afghanistan and Pakistan.

A similarly hot pace was set domestically. Obama issued three executive orders aimed at increasing the transparency of his government and opening access to presidential documents that Bush had made more difficult. He also took the important symbolic measure of freezing wages for 100 of his top staffers. Finally, he introduced a genuinely tough set of rules aimed at curbing the influence of the lobbyist industry, limiting their ability to join government or for his staff to leave and take jobs at lobbying firms.

The pace and calm execution of measures impressed many, though few of Obama's plans were radical. Instead they reflected a firm moderation that typified his campaign message of appealing to middle-ground Americans. "He has done some very smart things. From day one he has also been reaching out to Republicans," said Bowler. "He's getting rave reviews. Even from Republicans."

To his supporters, which seem to include many in an almost fawning US media, Obama last week successfully blended elements of some of the most fondly remembered presidents. He has shown some of the charm and humour of Ronald Reagan, the seriousness of purpose of Franklin Roosevelt, and the rhetorical, unifying flourishes of his hero, Abraham Lincoln. Read it all here