The difference a day makes

As I sat watching george bush's departing helicopter poised to take off, the delay seemed interminable; and I found myself yelling at the TV screen: "Will you just leave !! Go ! Go ! . . Just . . Go-ohhhh ! !"

Impatience for him to be gone was emblematic of our impatience for the cleansing of our government to begin. And it has.

Immediately after he took the oath of office, Obama's first official act was to sign executive orders on ethics and transparency in government, among other things reversing bush's policies that made it difficult to obtain information under the Freedom of Information Act, and it reversed bush's executive order that allowed former presidents to claim executive privilege to keep their records in office a secret.

"Starting today, every agency and department should know that this administration stands on the side not of those who seek to withhold information, but those who seek to make it known," Obama said.

By making this his first official act, he signalled that his administration is not going to be doing business as usual. Along with many of his inaugural speech references, it was a sharp repudiation of the bush/cheney era -- but without cheap digs to score points, just a clear stating that it's going to be different.

Other vastly different policy principles are already evident in Obama's first 48 hours in office. Here are some of the things he has already done:

1. issued executive orders to stop and/or overturn bush's eleventh hour orders that adversely affect the environment, such as mining and development of federal lands.

2. one of his first calls to international leaders was to Palestian leader Abbas, signalling a more even-handed approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. And his annoucement today of George Mitchell as Mid-East Envoy is another powerful signal of serious intent to be involved in finding a peaceful solution.

3. announced a salary freeze for White House Staff that make more than $100,000 -- a signal of solidarity with those being hurt by the economic crisis.

4. announced strict policies limiting the effect of lobbyists and ending the revolving door that let lobbyists work in government in the same area as their prior lobbying jobs.

5. halted the military tribunal hearings at Guantanamo for procedural review and ordered the prison to be closed down within a year.

6. met with top military/defense advisers, including Generals Petraeus and Odierno, to order plans for drawing down our troop level in Iraq and for an increased focus on Afghanistan.

7. issued an executive order banning torture and shutting down CIA secret prisons abroad.

8. extensive, ongoing discussions with his team of economic advisers, to refine the recovery package.

9. other areas expected to be quickly reversed, if not already: funding for stem cell research; abstinence only sex education and restriction of federal aid to family planning clinics that do abortions, or in some cases, even those that offer contraception.

10. remarkable changes in what's on the White House webpage: for example, under the Civil Rights section is a whole list of gay/lesbian positions of the Obama administration, including support for full civil rights and federal benefits for same-sex partners, adding sexual orientation to the federal hate crimes legislation, supporting the employment non-discrimination legislation, opposing a constutional amendment prohibiting same-sex marriage, repealing Don't Ask, Don't Tell in the military, expanding adoption rights for same-sex parents, and more funding for AIDS prevention.

President Obama will surely disappoint some of his supporters. My greatest concern is that he will too readily compromise in order to get a larger bipartisan support for some legislation. I want him to use the power he has to be bold and bring as much change as possible. But, as of now, I also trust his judgment and political wisdom more than I do my own.

What a refreshing change: to know that we have a president that is smarter and knows more than I know, is wiser than I am in spite of his young years, and has superior political wisdom.

I am satisfied.

Ralph