Obama is Gearing up to Take on the Presidency, Gaza Problem

The enmity that exists between Muslims and Jews goes well beyond the most recent events in Gaza, of course, but the headlines of the day appear to be what President-elect Barack Obama’s response will be to the problem when he takes office. Perhaps hesitant to tip his hand, or simply very aware that he is not yet the president, Obama has put off questions about any specific plans or thoughts on the most recent violence. Prompted repeatedly by the media to speak on the matter, Obama continuously has noted that he’ll be addressing the issue after his January 20 inauguration. Yesterday, however, he issued new, albeit vague, comments about the problems in the Middle East.

Said Obama, "We’ve got a regional set of problems. They’re not going to be solved in isolation. And we’ve got to be active in all these areas in order for us to be successful in any of these areas." Obama further promised that he would begin to more formally address the Gaza issue "on Day One" after next Tuesday’s inauguration. Speaking more of his transition, the state of the country and his inauguration speech, Obama noted, "My job in this speech and in my presidency is just to remind people of the road we’ve traveled and the extraordinary odds that we’ve already overcome."

Speaking on perhaps the most important issue to all Americans – the economy – Obama noted that he may wait until next year to let Bush tax cuts for families with annual incomes of $250,000 or more lapse, rather than addressing the issue immediately, as House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has suggested. "I want to hear more from my economic advisers in terms of whether it will make a difference, a significant difference economically, whether it’s done this year or we just let it lapse," said Obama.