Obama's first State of Union Address draws hope, doubt among Americans
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U.S. President Barack Obama's first State of the Union Address rippled through the United States, stirring emotion and thought, casting hope as well as doubt in the hearts and minds of many Americans.
On Thursday, the day after Obama's speech, a small band of anti-war protesters gathered in front of the White House to demonstrate again the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. Several protesters who smeared themselves in fake blood and lay on the pavement were taken away by police.
Washington resident Sam Brown watched from across the street as the protesters made their point. He acknowledged Obama's pledge Wednesday night to withdraw all combat troops from Iraq by the end of August made an impression, but noted it was "what he said he was going to do when he took office on Jan. 20 last year."
"He mentioned nothing about Guantanamo Bay. He said a year ago he was going to close Guantanamo Bay. He said nothing about it last night," Brown said.
The president promised on Jan. 22 last year to close in one year's time the infamous prison in Guantanamo, Cuba. However, he has failed to deliver. He said earlier this month the plan to close the military prison was still on.
Brown was also unhappy about Obama's failure to mention U.S. involvement in Yemen, where Nigerian national Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab was trained and equipped for his failed Christmas attempt to bomb a U.S. airliner.
Obama made no direct reference to the anti-terrorism fight in Yemen in his address, but he did say the attack revealed "unacceptable gaps" in the government, especially among intelligence agencies.
Homeland security and the unpopular wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were not part of the centerpiece of Obama's first State of the Union address. Instead, the president devoted about two-thirds of his speech to the economy, unveiling a set of proposals to assure Americans worried about their jobs and other economic issues.
"I think it's a great idea that he's giving money to small businesses and helping the local people," Loraine Alamo of St. Louis, Mo., said as she walked down Pennsylvania Avenue near the White House.
"Taking it from Wall Street to main street, that's the way to go," she said.
Obama made America's double-digit unemployment his top priority Wednesday night.
"Jobs must be our number one focus in 2010," Obama said, announcing a 30 -billion-dollar credit fund to help small businesses. The fund came from money Wall Street banks have repaid for ferderal bailouts. He also proposed a new small business tax credit, and called for a new jobs bill.
Health care reform, which also tops the president's domestic agenda, has been dragging on for the past year, costing the White House and the Democratic Party dearly.
"The longer it was debated, the more skeptical people became," Obama said.
The skepticism was evident on the streets of Washington the day after Obama's address to the nation.
Tim Smith of Georgia said that although he didn't have an informed opinion, he just didn't think health reform was the way to go, as "too many special interests had to be included in that."
Obama made a pledge to deal with those special interests in his State of the Union address, saying the government faced "a deficit of trust," vowing to end the "outsized influence of lobbyists."
"I believe he's doing the right thing," said Tom Hughes of California.
Obama's address also stirred interest amongst seasoned political observers.
Thomas Pickering, former under secretary of state for political affairs, applauded the president's announcement that "the United States and Russia are completing negotiations on the farthest-reaching arms control treaty in nearly two decades."
Pickering told Xinhua that Obama shared the sense that the world's most powerful weapons are so destructive they should never be used.
"If that's the case ... then we should get rid of them, because there's still the danger of accidental or miscalculated use," he said, noting there's also the risk that nuclear weapons could fall into the hands of terrorists.
Obama didn't delve much deeper into the topic but American University political historian Allan Lichtman said there was a reason for doing that.
"If you look at the recent history of elections, foreign policy either hasn't helped or has hurt," Lichtman said Thursday at a briefing concerning the State of the Union address. "Obama would be very happy if it was neutral."
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