REPLIES TO THE CURRENT QUESTION

Our question last week was:

Based on what you've seen in the first weeks of the Obama administration, where do you think the country will be in six months?

Here are your answers.  The name of a writer is included only if he or she actually placed a name at the end of the message.  Otherwise, we assume the writer wished anonymity and "name withheld" is inserted.

I have absolutely no idea.  If someone had asked the same question 8 years ago during the first days of Bush, the Younger's administration, answers would have been reasonably bland and innocuous. If you had asked them to forecast what the country would have looked like in 7 months and 7 days, I would venture to predict with my brilliant 20/20 hindsight that not a single prognosticator would have predicted the pile of rubble in lower Manhattan.  As no one in particular has said, "It's a volatile world out there!"  

I won't even offer a laundry list of "what ifs".  I absolutely wish President Obama the best and hope, equally, that he is successful in his job; and, that he spends a few minutes reading his own quotes on bi-partisonship, recognizing that bi-partisonship isn't what we used to call the game of "Air Force Baseball" in my former job.  For the uninitiated that is, "You play ball with me and I'll shove the bat ...".  For if he does, the next 6 months and the next 4 years are going to be very interesting.

Don Newell

Best case scenario: Bankruptcy.

Worst case scenario: In the throws of an EMP (electro-magnetic-pulse)-induced Hobbesean Hell.

Grampa Guy
Brainerd, Mn.

R. Emmett Tyrell used to refer to Bill Clinton as our Boy President.  By this he meant that our 42th president was an immature Peter Pan, who in a bizarre twist of history ended up in the White House.  One is tempted to use the same appellation for BHO.  However, BHO is, at least by all available evidence, not a Peter Pan. And using the term Boy in describing a black man (even one who is only half black) could be considered in poor taste.  

No, in this case our current president should be known as our Puppy President.  A puppy is friendly, charming, cuddly, and loved by one and all.  But, no one trusts him to be left alone in the living room.  He means well but you don't let him guard the house until he can recognize who is family and who is not.

BHO, because he has no experience beyond his Ivy League education (a rather poor preparation for life), does not know how wealth is created nor who in a dangerous world is a friend or foe.  This is a man with no experience running an executive; and even at this early date the incompetence is palpable.  He will never have as much good will as he has now (the MSM excepted). Yet, he has shown an amazing lack of spine in dealing with a Congress bent on spending every last dollar for this and several generations to come.  His groveling before our enemies and his insistence of cutting the military should give every American pause.  He is squandering the position of strength built up over the last seven years.  

Six months from now things will only be worse.

Alan Weick

Where will the country be in six months?

It will remain south of Canada and north of Mexico, unless the mainstream press convinces us it's not.  The country will be worse off than today, but it won't be Obama's fault.  Obama will have been tested by one of our enemies and he will be found lacking.  The Obamas may have a dog, but then they may need to study the issue some more.  

 Doug Nelson
Bettendorf, Iowa

In far worse shape, I fear, than we ought to be.  

The problems and missteps of President Obama and his staff over these past few weeks have been discussed so universally that they hardly need restating here - problematic Cabinet nominations, the economy and stimulus package, Gitmo, campaign promises broken, etc.

More dangerous, in my opinion, is the appearance of a post-inauguration Obama - dropping the post-partisan mask, showing us a distressingly uncivil and arrogant gentleman who now feels he can tell us he won, so get used to it.  This "new" Obama is condescending, disrespectful and reveals an ugly side that does not inspire confidence.  His Williamsburg speech, especially the disingenuous commentary that, ha ha, you stupid folks, spending is stimulus, showed that he is not ready to have a respectful, serious and honest dialogue.
 
Personally I think he is in way over his head.  He now has to make real and terribly consequential decisions.  He is no longer able to get by with acting presidential and voting "present."  He got the presidency, and now it has got him, and he is having a major tantrum about it.

I suspect that his campaign answer to Rick Warren, referring to the abortion controversy - "that is above my pay grade" - will pretty much come to describe his attempt to govern this country.

Mary Grodnik