(Danville, California)
President Obama has now been in office one-hundred days, but something else is also one-hundred days old— the stable of “Age of Obama” authors at Nimble Books, LLC.
We all proudly rolled out our books on Inauguration Day (or thereabouts). This was a huge undertaking by Nimble’s publisher, Fred Zimmerman.
The books are: “Persuader-in-Chief: Global Opinion and Public Diplomacy in the Age of Obama,” by Dr. Nancy Snow (cover shown above); “Obama Does Globalistan,” by Pepe Escobar; “Threats in the Age of Obama,” by Michael Tanji; and of course, “Age of Obama: A Reporter’s Journey with Clinton, McCain and Obama in the Making of the President 2008,” by Mark Curtis.
I hope you buy some of them. I am looking forward to reading “Persuader-in-Chief,” as my doctoral dissertation focuses on presidential communication. The others look interesting, too.
Fred Zimmerman, our publisher, asked us to reflect on our books and write about what we got right', what we got wrong, and what surprised us in the first one-hundred days, so here goes:
“What I Got Right” – I really thought President Obama would try to make a strong move towards bipartisan support and try to change the often ugly tone of Washington. With three Republicans in Cabinet-level status, he’s at least trying in demonstrative ways.
“What I Got Wrong” – I missed the whole VP pick. I had Hillary Clinton as Vice President and Joe Biden as Secretary of State. I keep saying it was like a grown up game of musical chairs, and they just sat down in the wrong seats. I still think they are miscast in their roles and that conflicts are coming, but time may prove me wrong.
“What Surprised Me the Most” – I am perhaps most surprised at how low key First Lady Michelle Obama has been. Having heard her speak often on the campaign trail, I thought she’d be a more vocal, activist First Lady, like Hillary Clinton. On the other hand, I believe she and the President are doing a good job of shielding their two young girls from too much public scrutiny. It’s a balancing act. I think she’s trying to be a mom, first and foremost.
All the Nimble Book authors will be blogging on President Obama’s first one-hundred days, so here are some links you should check out:
http://www.NimbleBooks.com and http://www.nimblebooks.com/aom/shop.php?c=Obama&x=Age_of_Obama
I was at a book signing today, and someone bought my book and had me sign it for a Father’s Day gift! What a great idea (for mom, too!). If you want to do the same, just click on the blue book button on the right side of this screen. Wednesday morning, I will be on KTXL-TV Fox 40 News in Sacramento, to discuss the first one-hundred days and my book. Tune in at 4:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m., or check their website for video clips later in the day, www.Fox40.com.
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The first trillion-dollar deficit will be run in the first year of an Obama presidency. It will be the first of many.
Considering his approval rating, I would venture to say that Obama has succeeded in his first 100 days. However, I foresee a much dimmer political future for him if this recession hangs on much longer. People are getting sick and tired of it. Naturally they look to the president for leadership. Obama may end up regretting the fact that he blamed president Bush so much for this recession. He may find the same blame placed on him for his policy's ineffectiveness.
In spite of appointing some Republicans, Obama hasn't managed to change the ugly partisanship in Washington. The losers in any election have often come up bruised and somewhat bitter. However, in this case, the winners are the most virulent. How else can you explain the attempt of some Democrats to prosecute people from the Bush administration for doing their jobs in protecting the American people? These people are destructive and do not care about the country so much as they do about their partisan politics. They have revealed their true priorities, and it ain't a pretty sight.
Thanks for some very insightful comments. I was planning on writing about the interrogation prosecutions (or lack of) in my next column entitled, "The Next 100 Days." Ultimately I don't think President Obama will prosecute previous White House lawyers-- for a variety of reasons-- not the least of which would be that he would contradict previous stated positions. Anyway, you read my mind....more to come!
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