Political Science

About a year ago, the Obama Administration passed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in February 2009.  This law entailed federal tax cuts, broadening of unemployment benefits, emphasis on domestic spending especially in the realm of education, health care and infrastructure in a bid to provide a stimulus package to help the ailing economy folowing the global financial crisis the Obama Administration  inherited  from the (outgoing) Bush Administration.  This was the current administrations attempt to revitalize the economy and at the same time rectify the errors of the practices of business and industry which led to this problem (Wolf, 2010).

A year after its passage, the White house is celebrating the headway that has been made by the law.  They proudly boasted that they helped save or create about 2 million jobs and roughly 20 million have received extended unemployment benefits where they have seen their taxes cut to alleviate their suffering.  Yet there is still a substantial number of  working class  Americans who have not yet taken advantage of the benefits of the law.  Even though the law has not yet affected all concerned, they are confident that they will soon reap the benefits of the law in due course and they are optimistic that their time will come.

Obama Monitoring Afghan Surge
President Obama has been currently monitoring developments in the military operations against the Taliban in Afghanistan ever since he redirected the strategy on the war on terrorism by ordering an orderly pullout of US forces from Iraq and redploying them to Afghanistan where he felt the real battle should be fought (Jackson, 2010a).

When he was campaiging for president, Obama refuted claims of his detractors that he was a defeatist when he said how he would act as commander-in-chief of the most powerful armed force in the world.  While he wants to reach out and reconcile with Americas enemies, he promised not to waver in his duty in protecting the American people from all its enemies, foreign and domestic and he does not want to wage a  stupid war  like the one in Iraq.  By redploying and reconcentrating their forces in Afghanistan, Obama felt he is putting the war effort back on track.

Sundays Best Cheney and Biden, One-on-One
Although the presidential elections were over, the clash between Vice President Joseph Biden and former Vice President Richard Cheney still goes on on several issues, particularly on the war on terrorism.  Cheney claimed that there is a state of war going on and terrorists should not be treated as common criminals with regards to bringing them to justice in civil courts, especially in reference to the Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalab who attempted to blow up an airliner on Christmas Day.  On the other hand, Biden believed the Obama administration knows that it is doing and trumpeted the achievements of the administrations way of conducting the war.  He blasted Cheney for being out of touch (Jackson, 2010b).

It can be inferred here that these two men are not in good terms with one another though Cheney admittedly shows respect for President Obama on the way he is handling several issues such as the ongoing war in Afghanistan which he supports while critizing the administrations stand on Iraq, saying it was a big mistake to pull out of Iraq.  However, his praise and compliments seemed to have ended there and reserved his criticisms to those who serve in his administration, particularly to Vice President Biden.

China to Obama Cancel Meeting with Dalai Lama
The leadership in China is telling the White House to cancel the scheduled meeting between President Obama and the Dalai Lama.  Such a meeting is an affront to Beijings sovereignty over Tibet which it has occupied since the 1950s through force and considered it their province, quashing any efforts to recognize the sovereignty of Tibet.  Beijing is urging Washington to honor and respect the policies of China in keeping with the friendship and close ties Obama wanted to have with China.  This is one of the other touchy issues that has somewhat strained US-China relations which also includes arms sales to Taiwan, Chinas human rights issues, currency manipulation and Chinese attacks on Google (Jackson, 2010c).

It can be inferred here that China is invoking its  Middle Kingdom Mentality  where they regard themselves as the center of the world and everyone outside it must defer to them, especially the more powerful countries of the west like the United States.  This explains why they strongly urge, if not demand that President Obama not meet with the Dalai Lama or the President of Taiwan for that matter for such a meeting is an insult to their sovereignty and their sensitivities as they are getting over the  hundred years of humiliation  they endured under the western powers more than a hundred years ago and such a behavior is showing either Chinas  inferiority complex  or trying to show it can no longer be bullied by other great powers by trying to project an image of beinga great power itself.