Obama as an icon

US President Barack Obama was elected exactly a year ago today. The daily Diário de Notícias takes stock of what it sees as a mixed performance: "Barack Obama has not disappointed the majority of his voters, ... but his popularity has dropped. Understandably,  because politics is the art of the possible: a politician must adjust his actions to the circumstances. In domestic politics the first Afro-American president has come under fire from the conservatives, who accuse him of wanting to introduce socialism because of his ambitious healthcare reform. In foreign policy he has ordered the withdrawal of troops from Iraq and boosted the troops' mission in Afghanistan. Both decisions have had unpleasant consequences and violence is endemic in both countries. … But there is progress as far as relations with Cuba and environmental issues are concerned, and the economic crisis also seems to be easing. More than any other politician Obama has become an icon, and the Nobel Peace Prize underscores this. A year after his election the hope lives on, if somewhat less powerful. It's simply not that easy to change the US and the world."

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