John McGuirk

One year ago today the world woke up to greet the election of a new American President, an event made more special and historic to many because of the colour of his skin. For many international observers, and indeed domestic liberals, the election was a historic repudiation of what they saw as the dangerous, imperialistic, and narrow minded approach of the prior administration, particularly in the field of foreign policy.

Not only did President Obama win a large victory himself, he aslo carried Democrats to huge majorities in both houses of Congress, and into a position whereby they can pass legislation without a single Republican vote, a luxury never available to Presidents Bush, Clinton, Bush, Reagan, Carter, Nixon, Johnson, Kennedy, Eisenhower, or Truman. This is, legislatively speaking, the most powerful administration since that of FDR.

One year on, alas, and a majority of pollsters find the President with approval ratings in the forties. His signature piece of domestic legislation looks unlikely to pass this year,  his party has been handed a comprehensive beating in races for the Governorships of New Jersey and Virginia, and his most noteworthy achievement has been to quadruple the US deficit in his first year in office. Change? Certainly. Hope? Not so much.

So far, this has been just about the most disappointing first year to a presidency since that of Jimmy Carter.

As reported by Reuters today, President Obama has a simple answer to his critics. It’s all Bushes fault. And maybe some of it is, but that excuse is starting to wear thin.

The President’s early success in passing his stimulus package -a plan that cost approximately $1million per day since the birth of Christ -was based on the premise that it would tackle unemployment, and “save the economy from collapse”. Judge for yourself:

(Red dots denote actual unemployment. Blue lines denote what the administration promised)

As I said, judge for yourself.

In the arena of foreign affairs, the President has been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, presumably as a reward for not being George W. Bush, and in spite of his having no discernable achievements in the field of peacemaking. His policy over Afghanistan is still a mystery, despite a request three months ago by commanders to make a decision one way or another. Iran continues to flout international consensus, with no real consequence.

In retrospect, this was all easy to see coming. Obama was a man for the moment, a vessel into which people could invest their hopes and dreams and frustrations and ambitions. His campaign promised change, and hope, with little explanation of what form either would take. The candidate made himself a mirror for people’s feelings, reflecting back at them a better view of their country and their problems. The euphoria, which led to mass faintings at Obama rallies, was enough to see him into office, but once there, the real Obama has begun to emerge.

He has governed as a radical liberal. He has been ham-fisted in his dealings with Congress and his opponents. He has failed to engage fully and thoroughly with the challenges his nation faces on the world stage. His has so far been the photo-op presidency, the presidency whose sole answer to a major crisis is for him to give another speech.

If the trend doesn’t change, it’ll be a four year presidency, too.