News Analysis: Can Obama bring U.S. out of crisis?

A GOOD START IS HALF THE SUCCESS

Obama's speech set the tone for his future policies, the analysts said. However, what determines the success or failure of Obama's administration will be his performance in office, especially during the first months.

History indicates that a new president's popularity and power to overcome opposition is usually at its peak during his first three months in office. As an American Broadcasting Company (ABC) News poll showed, up to 80 percent of Americans have expressed confidence in Obama while about 71 percent back the president's "new policies."

Reports said the Obama administration is expected to launch a massive stimulus plan to fulfill the president's campaign promises.

Obama's schedule for "Day 1" includes meetings with his economic and national security teams and high-ranking military officers. That's to discuss his planned stimulus package, as well as the next steps for the unfinished wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, an aide said.

Within his first week in office, Obama was also expected to close the Guantanamo Bay prison and forbid the use of interrogation techniques denounced widely as torture.

He also was expected to appoint senior diplomat Dennis Ross as a special envoy to the Middle East and task George Mitchell, a former senator, with mediating peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.

Obama will also act swiftly to sign legislation to expand medical care for children from poor families. He will also overturn President George W. Bush's ban on federal funding for embryonic stem cell research.

Within his first month in office, the new president will also urge Congress to pass an economic stimulus package that calls for even more massive funds.

However, the new president is also facing some unfavorable factors during his early days in office. Democratic leaders in Congress still oppose Obama on some details of his economic stimulus plan. Meanwhile, they are also discontented with him for not looking into misconduct within the Bush administration.

The "Obama era" seems to be blessed from its very beginning because the inauguration ceremony saw an unprecedented massive audience and the new president's speech were well received.

However, the world is still waiting to see whether the new administration can make a good start and finally lead the United States out of the economic crisis.

Editor:Zhang Pengfei