Obama’s Reflections

One year after his inauguration on January 20, 2009, the 44th president offers his impressions and reflections to People magazine and engages in a sincere exercise on what did not work. That’s rather rare nowadays. Will the upcoming year thus be incredible?

The Prez received People, a highly popular magazine, with his wife Michelle, and emptied his heart a bit on his first year on the job. Not with a bitter tone, but, rather with statements like, “it was even harder than I thought…” For example, he admitted to having been very behind his goals on changing the way Washington functions – with respect to working with the Senate and House. And then, he feels he has lost the magnificent atmosphere that existed at the moment of his inauguration. Division replaced national cohesion and he will refocus his second year on this objective. It will surely be a priority to reunifying the country around his values, leading by example.

He understands that the people that had believed in the “hope” and “change” of his campaign are disappointed, but he found the country in a state still far worse than what he had imagined. Decisive steps were taken in 2009 and this year will see change.

People wouldn’t be People if it didn’t try to slip Tiger Woods into the interview. And that was a bit of a mess. To the question “Can Tiger rehabilitate himself?” the response was as sexy as a sermon at the altar. “Absolutely” – and he skipped to the moral of the story: each person examines his own conscience, finds his weaknesses, and fixes them. Understood, that it was none of his business.

Michelle interjected, spotlighting an exceptional moment from the year: her daughters Malia and Sasha’s meeting with the Pope. He asked them “how is school going” and they responded “fine.” Moving, no?

Thus the B+ that he gave himself on the election’s anniversary. He maintains it despite the Amsterdam/Detroit plane incident. His justification is simple: during this year the U.S. undertook unprecedented work on interior security. Let’s hope so.

At the end, POTUS, in a personal way, evoked a lack and a satisfaction. The lack is clearly contact and daily interaction with people. Satisfaction comes from the solitary dimension of the grave decisions that have to be made, such as sending troops to Afghanistan. So, he likes that and feels rather good about it. We believe him.