"60 Minutes" with Obama

I watched the “60 Minutes” interview of president-elect Obama that was aired on 11/16/08. It was his first interview since winning the election. In it, Obama outlined the major issues facing our nation presently and his plans for dealing with them. Obviously, the economic situation was the main focus of his discussion. Obama advocated government spending for the present as a way to stimulate the economy. For instance, he expressed the need to provide financial assistance to the failing American auto industries; however, he made it clear that the government should not simply write a blank check. Rather, the situation should be assessed more deeply to ensure that enough is given without adversely affecting the economy in other ways. When asked if the current drop in oil prices lessens the need to focus on energy solutions, Obama firmly stated that we should focus on it more now than ever. Aside from the economy, the president-elect stated other plans including: shutting down Guantanamo Bay, doing away with torture tactics, reducing the number of troops in Iraq, and putting a national security team in place to effect a smooth transition.

I felt that Obama did well in his interview, and I pretty much agreed with his proposed policies. I liked that he insisted that solving the energy problem is more important than ever, and should not simply be put on the back burner until it becomes an issue again. Having recently taken an environmental science course, this energy problem is something that I have studied extensively, and I wholeheartedly agree that this is an issue of major importance. Perhaps the only area that I am unsure of that the president-elect touched on is his plan to spend now to boost the economy, regardless of the increased debt it would cause. National debt is and has been a problem for our country for awhile, so I am not sure that this is something that should be taken lightly. That being said, I am not condemning this plan of action, because if it does work as he said, then the benefit would outweigh the negatives. Overall, I felt that the outline that Obama gave for the immediate future was a sound and reasonable plan, which gives me hope for the future.