fearlesshistory

“The journey of a thousand miles begins beneath one’s feet.”

-Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching

The day after the inauguration is usually the day that new Presidents unveil their bold agendas. Most Presidents in eras past have entered Washington as little more than placeholders - Millard Filmore, James Garfield, Rutherford B Hayes, etc. - but some have entered at a time of great trouble for the American people - Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Lyndon B Johnson, Ronald Reagan. I am sure nobody would argue that President Obama has entered as one of the latter.

Though many of my Republican colleagues might have derided his inexperience, his youth, or the mantra of “Hope,” they must surely recognize that the new President has definitely hit the ground running. They, of course, should have taken note of his potential when he began assembling his cabinet far, far earlier than any other President-elect/-designate ever has before. But even if they did not, they must certainly recognize that - no matter what their misgivings or rhetorical and philosophical differences they may have with President Obama - his first day in office is a good sign that experience is no bar to leadership. A short recap of his day:

1) He called the leadership of Israel, Jordan, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority in order to begin work on serious peace plans in the region. Normally, the Middle East is a last-ditch attempt at establishing a President’s “legacy” as Mr. Bush and Mr. Clinton did in the waning days of their Presidency. It should also be noted that the day of President Obama’s inauguration, Israel pulled out of Gaza unilaterally and without precondition, giving credence to my (and everyone else’s) belief that it was the Likhud party’s last great hurrah before serious Middle East talks begin.

2) He froze the pay of the top 100 White House staff. Mostly a symbolic gesture, since it could have gone further than the White House or the top 100, but a good move nonetheless. It is difficult to hear politicians discussing the “tightening of belts” or the “dire situation of the American working class” while they vote themselves raise after raise after raise. By setting the example, he draws the attention of the voters to the Senate and House of Representatives; Voters who may remember whether their Senator or Representative lined their own pockets while the Middle- and Working-Class people of America cut costs and hunted for every last dollar. An interesting move in a Democratic-controlled Congress when the President is also Demcoratic.

3) Set new rules regarding lobbying; staffers and aides who used to work for in certain field can not work, or contact an agency, dealing with that  field. This is in direct conflict with the prior administration’s policies; for example, the former Vice President used to work for Haliburton and was responsible for setting energy policy and was the major drum-beater for war in Iraq. In addition, aides and staffers must attend an ethics briefing so there is no chance of claiming ignorance of the new rules. By setting the bar for transparency and honesty, President Obama has set the tone (and provided an example) for what he plans on doing with other agencies.

4) New interpretations of the Freedom of Information Act (FoIA); in the spirit of transparency, the spirit of the law will reign instead of the letter. Basically, the government agency that receives a request for information must do all they can to provide that information, essentially stating that it is better to “err on the side of making information public” than on maintaining secrecy. This step may be of particular interest to my Republican friends as well as to conspiracy theorists out there; the government will be held accountable to you and you will have no reason to be denied real, concrete, documented proof (something we historians are rather keen on) so you will probably have to provide that proof from government sources rather than blogs.

President Obama’s campaign of leadership, responsability, and hope seems to be settling in quite nicely. I will be watching (as I hope everyone will be) in the coming years to see what form that leadership will take and to ensure that the promises of openness andtransparency are kept. I am glad that, in his inaugural speech, he made it clear that this journey he is leading us on will not be easy and that it will require sacrifice from everyone not just the American public, or future generations. His leadership is only a day old, but the road is surely well under his feet.

—————————resources——————

“Obama’s first day ” MSN

“Obama hits ground running on day one ” Fox News

“Obama sets agenda on day one ” Al Jazeera (English)

Lao Tzu Tao Te Ching 531 BCE (Barnes and Noble Classics, 2005)

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