Daily Skiff

President Barack Obama seems to be rather calm about the serious global issues he faces.

It would seem that as soon as the president was sworn into office, the world presented him with a silver plate full of conflicts.

On the home front, the economic crisis and infrastructure are the most daunting. With the controversial stimulus plans, bankers and CEOs are getting bonuses from taxpayer money that was designated for rebuilding their companies. The president seeks to implement needed reform in health care, Social Security and education, all while keeping the nation united during such turbulent times.

Then there is the drug war in Mexico, which according to the Associated Press has taken over 9,000 lives since 2006, that is currently spilling over into the United States. The free flow of guns and illegal drugs is wreaking havoc in both countries.

Also, there are the conflicts with the Middle East like the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, or the Taliban, which recently told reporters in Pakistan they were planning an attack in Washington that would "amaze" the world.

These are all important issues that need to be squared away immediately. Concerning the Middle East, let's not forget about the need to curtail American dependence on foreign oil and our shaky relationship with Saudi Arabia.

The president is at the same time trying to repair Russia-U.S. relations and reduce the number of nuclear weapons each country possesses as an act of peace.

Even more daunting, South Korean president Lee Myung-bak is calling for a "united response" under an U.N. Security Council resolution that bans North Korea from any ballistic activity. North Korea is dead set on launching another missile test and has threatened Japan and the U.S. that any effort to intervene in the launch would be considered an act of war, according to the Associated Press.

The eyes of the world are upon Obama, and he needs and deserves the support of the American people in order to do what the world needs us to do to make things right.

Alex S. Turner is a freshman political science major from Dallas.

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