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View Full Version : Big surprise - Obama named Time's "Person of the Year"


Sean
12-17-2008, 11:23 AM
So Obama has been named Time magazine's person of the year (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865068,00.html). The article is very interesting, and the most comprehensive overall update I've seen of what Obama and his transition team have been up to in since the election. And the full interview with Obama from December 5th is here (http://www.time.com/time/specials/2008/personoftheyear/article/0,31682,1861543_1865068_1865069,00.html).

Here's a good excerpt from the interview:

When voters look at your Administration two years from now, in the off-year election, how will they know whether you're succeeding?
I think there are a couple of benchmarks we've set for ourselves during the course of this campaign. On [domestic] policy, have we helped this economy recover from what is the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression? Have we instituted financial regulations and rules of the road that assure this kind of crisis doesn't occur again? Have we created jobs that pay well and allow families to support themselves? Have we made significant progress on reducing the cost of health care and expanding coverage? Have we begun what will probably be a decade-long project to shift America to a new energy economy? Have we begun what may be an even longer project of revitalizing our public-school systems so we can compete in the 21st century? That's on the domestic front.

On foreign policy, have we closed down Guantánamo in a responsible way, put a clear end to torture and restored a balance between the demands of our security and our Constitution? Have we rebuilt alliances around the world effectively? Have I drawn down U.S. troops out of Iraq, and have we strengthened our approach in Afghanistan — not just militarily but also diplomatically and in terms of development? And have we been able to reinvigorate international institutions to deal with transnational threats, like climate change, that we can't solve on our own?

And outside of specific policy measures, two years from now, I want the American people to be able to say, "Government's not perfect; there are some things Obama does that get on my nerves. But you know what? I feel like the government's working for me. I feel like it's accountable. I feel like it's transparent. I feel that I am well informed about what government actions are being taken. I feel that this is a President and an Administration that admits when it makes mistakes and adapts itself to new information, that believes in making decisions based on facts and on science as opposed to what is politically expedient." Those are some of the intangibles that I hope people two years from now can claim.

Enjoy!

Deckard
12-18-2008, 12:41 PM
Sarah Palin was in the runners up?!!

That was a good interview with Obama. I don't think anyone else could have taken the title this year. Even with all this Rick Warren business kicking off.

(On that last point, I wonder if choosing someone with anti-black views to deliver the invocation would have been similarly played down as "reaching out" and "being inclusive"? Seems in the "wide range of viewpoints", some anti's are less unacceptable than others)