Combining goodwill with US interests

The Irish Times gives US President Barack Obama high marks for his first 100 days in office: "Whether on health reform, job creation, Guantánamo and torture or on his accessible yet reasoned style of political argument, Mr Obama has successfully caught the US public mood and carried opinion with him. As a result his Republican opponents are nonplussed and in disarray. ... They must await the working out of Mr Obama's policies, hoping that failures will revive their credibility. Internationally Mr Obama has played well to an expectant world. Much of this work has been symbolic, conveying respect to countries and cultures previously disparaged by the Bush administration. His foreign policy is now becoming more substantive, notably on Afghanistan and Pakistan, and in his meetings with European and Latin American leaders. He must now link that goodwill to his pursuit of US interests."

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