Touchdown: Obama gets busy

I thought Global TV’s Jacques Bourbeau hit it on the head when he remarked that though it has only been a few days since President Obama was inaugurated, he has been moving so quickly that it already feels like George Bush was quite a long time ago. I always watch for the communications in action which follows high profile events like a presidential inauguration or a Speech from the Throne here in Canada – what messages are you sending when the real work gets underway? Obama knew that he had to be seen to be taking the reins of power quickly, and to demonstrate that he will deliver on the message of change he tub-thumped about every day on the long campaign trail. And I believe he did just that, in his first couple of days on the job. Signing Executive Orders to close the Guantanamo Bay Prison and to end the use of torture spoke loudly and clearly about his follow-through. Ditto for his comments following the official introduction of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State when he said, “let there be no doubt about America's commitment to lead. We can no longer afford drift, and we can no longer afford delay, nor can we cede ground to those who seek destruction. A new era of American leadership is at hand, and the hard work has just begun." All of it was a clear statement of bringing new approaches to the challenges facing his nation, and a clean break from the policies of the past.