2. President’s Foreign Policy visits and speeches are priceless.  They are what the doctor ordered for the health of our country’s long-range survival.  But talking great sense and eloquence is one thing and actually doing it is another.  By now, almost everybody in the world, except the US Congress, Israeli right-wing fanatics and their mindless supporters in the US, recognize a simple fact -- not all, but about 60% of our problems with the Muslim World stems from Palestinian-Israeli conflicts.  Until we accept this reality and start to design policies to bring in a lasting peace to this problem by being a real honest broker instead of doing PR campaign blitzes, nothing is going to change. 

We must abandon American exceptionalism ideology and negotiate with whole world on the basis of equality, reality and mutual respect.  We have to convince the rest of the world about our sincere desire to lead with justice and honesty.  I have no doubt Obama believes what he says, but there are very very powerful forces in the USA that will prevent him from turning his words into actions.

3. Right now the most important policy issues are unemployment, health care and education.  It seems Mr. Obama would love to solve these problems ASAP but GOP and Blue Dog Democrats are lining up to fight him nail and tooth on these.  So far his response is low key and not confrontational.  The real test will be in next six months.  Is he going to dare to fight those almighty    lobbies and political foes or is he going to play politics and back paddle and give in to their demands?  I am personally reserving my judgment until June 2010, but my sixth sense tells me that he is going to play for second term politics and dance around the issues.    I rooted for him in the last election.  For US and whole world his failures will be terrible costly.  I am very much hoping that my apprehension is not warranted.