President Barack Obama

On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44^th President of the United States of America. His first 100 days in office as the first African-American President of the U.S. has been packed with activity. Here is a kaleidoscope of the first 100 days of the Obama presidency:

Jan. 22: President Barack Obama, using his presidential authority, announced the closure of controversial prison at Guantanamo Bay within one year. Obama insists that the U.S. will not engage in torturing prisoners.

Jan 23: Barack Obama lifts the ban on Federal funding for international organizations that have any involvement with abortion.

Jan. 27: Barack Obama decides to give his first official television interview to one of the leading Arab news networks.

Jan. 29: President Obama puts his signature on his first legislative bill, known as the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Feb. 9: President Obama calls on Congress to pass his economic recovery plan.

Feb. 17: Barack Obama signs the $ 787 billion economic stimulus measure into law, after its approval by Congress.

Feb. 19: President Obama visits Canada, his first overseas trip as President.

Feb. 22: Obama hosts governors in his first formal dinner at the White House.

Feb. 23: President Barack Obama hosts a fiscal responsibility summit at the White House.

Feb. 24: President Obama speaks before a joint session of Congress on the economy.

Feb. 26: Barack Obama presents a massive $3.6 trillion federal budget for the 2010 fiscal year

Feb. 27: President Obama makes public his plan to withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq by August 2010.

March 5: President Obama holds a summit on health care.

March 9: President George W. Bush’s ban on federally funded embryonic stem cell research is terminated by Obama.

March 20: Barack Obama broadcasts a video message to the Iranian people in celebration of the festival of Nowruz,

March 27:President Barack Obama provides details on a new strategy for the conflicts in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

March 30: Barack Obama presents an ultimatum to General Motors Corp. and Chrysler as a condition for continued government financial support.

March 31:Barack Obama travels to London to attend the G20 meeting on the Global Economic Crisis.

April 1: President Obama meets with Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

April 2: The G20 meeting is conducted in London.

April 4: President Obama attends the NATO summit meeting being held in Strasbourg.

April 5: President Barack Obama calls for the eventual elimination of nuclear weapons in Prague.

April 6: President Obama addresses Turkey’s parliament.

April 7: Barack Obama makes his first visit to Iraq as President.

April 10: Barack Obama indicated that there are glimmers of hope with the U.S. economy.

April 12: President Obama orders the use of military force to rescue an American ship captain held hostage by Somali pirates.

April 16: President Obama makes his first visit as president to Mexico. Drug violence on the border is a key topic.

April 17: Barack Obama makes public memoranda from the previous Bush administration that authorized the use of torture.

April 17: Obama travels to Trinidad and Tobago for the Summit of the Americas.

April 19: President Obama calls on Cuba to release the political prisoners still jailed if it seeks improved ties with the U.S.

April 27: President Obama speaks about the outbreak of swine flu across the globe.

President Obama and wife Michelle Obama are on their first official presidential visit to Europe, attracting excitement at all their venues. While in London for the G20 Summit meeting, the first couple of the United States had an audience with the Queen at Buckingham Palace.

In Strasbourg, France for a NATO gathering, President Barack Obama addressed a town hall meeting with college students from Germany and France. Michelle Obama has attracted wide attention from the media, in the meantime, with Europeans seeing her as a new fashion statement for America.

It appears that President Obama has helped to improve America’s image in Europe, with assistance from Michelle Obama. The question remains if this change will be long lasting.

President Barack Obama has unveiled his new plan for Afghanistan and Pakistan after his administration conducted a strategic review. The new strategy links the conflict with Taliban and Al-Qaeda elements in Afghanistan with their allies in Pakistan. This linkage recognizes that the insurgents use Pakistan as their base for attacking Afghanistan, a point made clear by President Obama.

In announcing his new strategy, Barack Obama also indicated that military means alone won’t win the war. Obama announced another 4,000 American troops would be sent to Afghanistan to train the local army and police. In addition, President Barack Obama indicated that major non-military resources, including civilian experts in governance and agriculture, would be sent to aid the Kabul government. Also, Barack Obama said more non-military aid, of about $1.5 billion per year over five years, will be provided to the people of Pakistan.

For the second time in his young administration, President Obama will be conducting a prime-time televised new conference. Barack Obama will be addressing the news media at a time of much activity. His Treasury Secretary, Timothy Geithner, just unveiled a new rescue program for the toxic assets crippling U.S. banks. The Geithner plan was widely cheered by Wall Street.

It is expected that most question Barack Obama will be responding to will involve the economic crisis. President Obama has sought to convey a highly active and visible image in responding to America’s financial and economic difficulties. Recently, President Barack Obama was interviewed on the CBS news show 60 Minutes.

Barack Obama will probably maintain his high visibility as the Global Economic Crisis dominates the world’s attention. Obama will soon be joining other world leaders to discuss the economic crisis at the G20 summit in London.

An angry President Barack Obama attacked the AIG management for paying massive bonuses to employees of the business unit responsible for the company’s collapse. AIG is still in business only because of billions of dollars of taxpayers loans paid to the company. President Obama reminded AIG that it is only because of the taxpayers of the U.S. that the company has not disappeared. Obama showed atypical anger at AIG.

Congress is joining with Barack Obama in displaying deep anger at AIG. The American people don’t understand why a company should pay failed and reckless employees bonuses for their work in destroying the world’s financial system. Barack Obama echoed these thoughts, saying he had instructed his Treasury Secretary to find every legal way of reversing the AIG bonuses.

During the presidential campaign, candidate Barack Obama criticized GOP challenger Senator John McCain for claiming that the fundamentals of the American economy were sound. Now, however, economic advisors serving the Obama administration are saying that the U.S. economic fundamentals are in fact strong. Has President Obama changed his mind?

It appears that Wall Street has heard enough warnings about the state of the U.S. economy from President Barack Obama. They now want a more positive message coming from the Obama White House. Will a more hopeful President Obama turn around the American economy? It would appear that deeds would be far more important than words. The world still awaits an Obama economic plan to counter the effects of the Global Economic Crisis.

The Chief Information Officer for President Obama, Vivek Kundra, is currently on a “leave of absence.” This will endure until facts regarding an FBI raid on the office where he was employed previously, in the Washington DC government, are better understood, according to, a White House official speaking for the Barack Obama administration.

President Barack Obama selected Mr. Vivek Kundra, who is 34 years old, last week as the chief information officer for the Federal Government. He is on leave indefinitely. Recently, law enforcement authorities arrested two people in connection with an investigation into employee corruption involving the Washington DC city office connected with information technology.

Previously, Vivek Kundra served as the Washington DC Chief Technology Officer. Though he has not been linked to the arrests involving his former office, this development is no doubt an embarrassment for the administration of President Barack Obama

Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States, officially announced that his administration is removing all restrictions on the federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research that had been put in place by his predecessor, President George W. Bush. President Obama’s decision won praise from many that believe stem cell research will lead to cures for human diseases. Opponents of stem cell research expressed their opposition to the lifting of restrictions by Obama.

In making known his decision on lifting stem cell research funding restrictions, President Barack Obama stated that, “We will lift the ban on federal funding for promising embryonic stem cell research….we will also vigorously support scientists who pursue this research. And we will aim for America to lead the world in the discoveries it one day may yield.”

During the 2008 presidential election, Barack Obama promised that he would lift the restrictions on federal funding of stem cell research imposed by Bush if he were elected President.

President Barack Obama traveled to Columbus, Ohio to speak to a graduating class of police cadets. He spoke about the importance of the Obama stimulus package in preserving jobs, using the example of the graduating police cadets, who will have jobs because of the money that will now be made available to cities and states by the federal government.

The class of Columbus police recruits was informed in January that due to a budget shortfall, the city lacked the funds to employ them as police officers upon their graduation from the academy. However, Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman stated that money from the $787 billion Obama fiscal stimulus package that Congress approved would make available fund to cover the salaries of the graduating recruits.

While in Columbus, President Obama also made reference to the latest unemployment figures, which now stand above 8%. Barack Obama stressed the importance of putting unemployed Americans back to work as a major thrust in improving the U.S. economy during a time of severe recession.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown of the UK was in Washington for an official visit with President Barack Obama, 44th President of the United States. Obama and Brown discussed the global financial and economic crisis, and how the two countries can work together to prevent a major economic depression.