It feels like ages since the United States saw 2 million people fight the bitter cold and witness the swearing in of America's 44th President.
Abroad, Barack Obama is still loved. But at home, his star is tarnished.
His approval rating has fallen from almost 70 percent at the time of his inauguration a year ago to 50 percent currently, according to the latest NBC polls. The proportion of Americans who disapprove of the job he is doing has quadrupled, from 12 percent to 44 percent.
More than half of voters think the country is on the wrong track. Americans are evenly divided as to which of the two political parties would do a better job of correcting that.
The president promised to do a lot during his campaign, such as ending the war in Iraq, giving health insurance to all Americans, curtailing global warming and cleaning America's stained reputation by closing the prison at Guantánamo Bay. There have been some speed bumps in the road.
None of this should be surprising.
Governing is hard at the best of times, but it is even more difficult during an economic crisis. The American political system is loaded with checks and balances: a president cannot simply tell Congress what to do. Everything takes time and requires ugly compromises. Nonetheless, many of Obama's fans feel let down and some have even jumped ship.
Sorry, but did America miss something?
If anything, Obama has run a very disciplined and competent administration that is extremely centered on the political spectrum. Have there been some missteps? Of course. This isn't an easy job – does anyone remember how bad things were when he took office?
The public only sees the steps he has taken, but how about the roads not taken? The president resisted the lure of the populists in the Democratic Party to saddle Wall Street with regulations that would strangle it in order to allow for an economic recovery. He sidestepped a tax on entrepreneurs who help jump-start the economy.
He put into motion a very large job creation bill, from which a majority of the funds will begin to be dispersed this year. None of these problems are quick fixes; this isn't second grade math.
Let's be really honest for a minute here. The responsibility of fixing a lot of the problems that face America doesn't lie on the president – it's the Republicans and Democrats in the United States Congress that are holding things up. The country is even more divided then ever. Neither side will cross the line and actually find common ground anymore.
If there is any criticism of the president, it is certainly that Obama has to get tougher. He often refrained from throwing his hat into the tussle and, in acts to gain favor, was too ready to do the popular thing now and leave the awkward stuff for later. The health care fight is a prime example.
The language of his inaugural speech promised a fierce fighter. He hasn't lived up to that promise yet.
The dip in poll numbers doesn't suggest that Americans have fallen in love with the Republicans, who seem much keener to obstruct the president than offer a coherent alternative plan. In fact, Americans seem to be fed up with the whole lot in government and because Obama is the president, he gets the blame.
Americans have spent the last year worrying about two wars, the possibility of losing their jobs, and how to pay for health care. If the president makes good choices, things can and will turn around.
After all, 12 months is too short to say the man has failed. It's more realistic to say 'to be determined.'
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