The First 100 Days of President Barack Obama
President Obama’s first 100 days in office come to an end on April 29. Some people were expecting miracles, others abject failure during the first 100 days of Obama. Both were disappointed. I don’t know why people place so much importance in a new president’s first 100 days. It’s not like after the first 100 days, the president is running out of time. After April 29, you will still have 1,360 days of the Obama presidency to look forward to or fear, depending on your political leanings.
So, mainly because you expect it, here are some highlights of the first 100 days of President Barack Obama:
Opened Some Government Windows
Despite the cold weather in D.C., President Obama threw open some windows on his first day in office. In one memo, he directed his department heads that when it comes to Freedom of Information Act requests, they "should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure." [More…]
Got to Work Trying to Fix the Economy
President Obama guided his 2009 economic stimulus bill - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - through Congress. Aimed at cutting taxes and creating jobs, the bill attempted to offer something for everyone. [More…]
Closed Down Guantanamo Bay
As one of his first official acts, President Obama ordered the closure of the terrorist suspect detention center at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The order also forced the fast-track review of the cases against the remaining Gitmo detainees. [More…]
Dropped the Term ‘Enemy Combatant’
In a court filing on the Guantanamo detainee case, the Department of Justice announced that the Obama Administration had dropped the use of the term “enemy combatant” and will no longer depend on the of presidential authority to indefinitely detain individuals suspected of terrorist activity.
[More…]
Launched His First Federal Budget
Focused on creating and saving jobs while stimulating the economy and curbing the recession, Obama's first Presidential Budget Proposal requested the expenditure of $3.55 trillion, with massive outlays in the job-rich areas of energy research and development, education and health care. [More…]
Floated a National Health Insurance Plan
Obama's plan, perhaps has the ambitious and expensive goal of providing affordable health insurance to all Americans through a combination of a new federal “Medicare-like” program and existing employer-provided health plans. [More…]
Blasted US Food Safety and Took Action
Calling it an unacceptable “hazard to public health,” President Obama vowed to upgrade the aging and underfunded U.S. food safety inspection system, and appointed a brand new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner to oversee the task. [More…]
Began the End of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Facility
That cheering your hear? It’s coming from Nevada. It started when Nevadans found out that President Obama's first proposed federal budget all but kills the Yucca Mountain National Nuclear Waste Repository by cutting of its seemingly endless flow of money. [More…]
Took Over Coordination of Urban Policy
Keeping a campaign promise and less than a week after signing an economic stimulus package that will send billions of dollars to American cities, Obama acted on that promise by issuing an executive order creating the White House Office of Urban Affairs. [More…]
Reversed the "Mexico City" Anti-abortion Policy
On his second day in office, Obama overturned the "Mexico City Policy" that prohibited the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from contributing money to international family planning agencies that offered abortions or abortion counseling. [More…]
Asked for More Money for Afghanistan and Iraq Wars
In what he promised would be the final supplemental spending request for the purpose, President Obama asked Congress to authorize an additional $83.4 billion for U.S. military combat, diplomatic and intelligence operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [More…]
Eased Some Restrictions on Cuba
Hoping to ignite at least a glimmer of love for democracy into the communist heart of Cuban president Raul Castro, Obama stated he would remove all travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans to Cuba, and increase the amount of money Cuban-Americans could send to their families in Cuba. [More…]
Released the Bush Administration’s CIA Torture Memos
The previously undisclosed memos from the Justice Department supported the legality of waterboarding and other physical interrogation methods used by CIA agents on War on Terror detainees under the George W. Bush administration. [More…]
Filled His First Cabinet… Almost
All of the Cabinet Secretaries are in place, except for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. [More…]
Asked the Cabinet to Slash Their Budgets and Channeled Everett Dirksen
President Obama asked his Cabinet Secretaries to each cut at least $100 million from their departmental budget. When asked if $100 million wasn’t really just a “drop in the bucket,” Obama replied that it was but, “…$100 million there, $100 million here, pretty soon, even in Washington, it adds up to real money.” [More…]
He also got a very nice dog from Sen. Ted Kennedy, but I didn’t write about that.
So, mainly because you expect it, here are some highlights of the first 100 days of President Barack Obama:
Opened Some Government Windows
Despite the cold weather in D.C., President Obama threw open some windows on his first day in office. In one memo, he directed his department heads that when it comes to Freedom of Information Act requests, they "should adopt a presumption in favor of disclosure." [More…]
Got to Work Trying to Fix the Economy
President Obama guided his 2009 economic stimulus bill - The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act - through Congress. Aimed at cutting taxes and creating jobs, the bill attempted to offer something for everyone. [More…]
Closed Down Guantanamo Bay
As one of his first official acts, President Obama ordered the closure of the terrorist suspect detention center at the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base. The order also forced the fast-track review of the cases against the remaining Gitmo detainees. [More…]
Dropped the Term ‘Enemy Combatant’
In a court filing on the Guantanamo detainee case, the Department of Justice announced that the Obama Administration had dropped the use of the term “enemy combatant” and will no longer depend on the of presidential authority to indefinitely detain individuals suspected of terrorist activity.
[More…]
Launched His First Federal Budget
Focused on creating and saving jobs while stimulating the economy and curbing the recession, Obama's first Presidential Budget Proposal requested the expenditure of $3.55 trillion, with massive outlays in the job-rich areas of energy research and development, education and health care. [More…]
Floated a National Health Insurance Plan
Obama's plan, perhaps has the ambitious and expensive goal of providing affordable health insurance to all Americans through a combination of a new federal “Medicare-like” program and existing employer-provided health plans. [More…]
Blasted US Food Safety and Took Action
Calling it an unacceptable “hazard to public health,” President Obama vowed to upgrade the aging and underfunded U.S. food safety inspection system, and appointed a brand new Food and Drug Administration (FDA) commissioner to oversee the task. [More…]
Began the End of the Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Facility
That cheering your hear? It’s coming from Nevada. It started when Nevadans found out that President Obama's first proposed federal budget all but kills the Yucca Mountain National Nuclear Waste Repository by cutting of its seemingly endless flow of money. [More…]
Took Over Coordination of Urban Policy
Keeping a campaign promise and less than a week after signing an economic stimulus package that will send billions of dollars to American cities, Obama acted on that promise by issuing an executive order creating the White House Office of Urban Affairs. [More…]
Reversed the "Mexico City" Anti-abortion Policy
On his second day in office, Obama overturned the "Mexico City Policy" that prohibited the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) from contributing money to international family planning agencies that offered abortions or abortion counseling. [More…]
Asked for More Money for Afghanistan and Iraq Wars
In what he promised would be the final supplemental spending request for the purpose, President Obama asked Congress to authorize an additional $83.4 billion for U.S. military combat, diplomatic and intelligence operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. [More…]
Eased Some Restrictions on Cuba
Hoping to ignite at least a glimmer of love for democracy into the communist heart of Cuban president Raul Castro, Obama stated he would remove all travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans to Cuba, and increase the amount of money Cuban-Americans could send to their families in Cuba. [More…]
Released the Bush Administration’s CIA Torture Memos
The previously undisclosed memos from the Justice Department supported the legality of waterboarding and other physical interrogation methods used by CIA agents on War on Terror detainees under the George W. Bush administration. [More…]
Filled His First Cabinet… Almost
All of the Cabinet Secretaries are in place, except for the Secretary of Health and Human Services. [More…]
Asked the Cabinet to Slash Their Budgets and Channeled Everett Dirksen
President Obama asked his Cabinet Secretaries to each cut at least $100 million from their departmental budget. When asked if $100 million wasn’t really just a “drop in the bucket,” Obama replied that it was but, “…$100 million there, $100 million here, pretty soon, even in Washington, it adds up to real money.” [More…]
He also got a very nice dog from Sen. Ted Kennedy, but I didn’t write about that.