Obama impresses internationally, still has work to do at home

USU Political Science Professor Mike Lyons says he was impressed with the way new President Barack Obama handled himself as he addressed the United Nations General Assembly this past week.On KVNU’s Crosstalk show Thursday, Lyons said Obama expressed eagerness to cooperate internationally, which was a break from the Bush administration which preferred to go it alone or unilaterally.”The speech also told other nations that they need to step up to the plate and work with the United States, rather than expecting the United States to carry burdens by itself,” Lyons said. “So I thought it was realistic and I thought it was, on some level, fairly inspiring.”I think it addressed international concerns that the United States and the world need to address, such as nuclear proliferation, the threat from Iran and possibly North Korea.”Lyons says although Obama has made a few ‘beginner’s mistakes,’ generally he feels that internationally the President deserves high marks.On the home front, Lyons says public misconceptions and hysteria are proving to be the biggest obstacles to health care reform. Lyons says people were caught off guard by the collapse of the major financial institutions last year and many have reacted in anger and incivility.”I think it’s unfortunate that we give our leaders, Democrats and Republicans, in the White House and in the Congress, so little latitude to try to work together and try to compromise,” Lyons said on KVNU’s Crosstalk Show. “We want our government on an incredibly short leash and if they even begin to drift off in a direction that arouses our suspicion or concern in the slightest, we want to yank on that leash.”Lyons says its becoming nearly impossible for the government to accomplish anything. He says the best way to help the country right now is to become informed.

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