January 20 marked the anniversary of American President Barack Obama's inauguration. As the Obama presidency teeters between hopeful and hopeless, the newspaper asks two writers to face off over whether his first year has been a success or a failure.

Contra - Joseph Uranowski

According to the standards President Barack Obama set for himself in his 2008 election campaign platform, his first year in office has been unsuccessful. During the 2008 presidential election, Obama tapped into American voters' yearning for “Hope” and “Change” after eight years of Bush. Although critics derided these campaign slogans as vague buzzwords, Obama’s platform was detailed in scope and set out to reverse the Bush administration's damage. He promised universal healthcare, restoration of civil liberties, and a dramatic change in foreign policy and economic management. What he delivered in his first year, however, was at best a watered-down version of those promises, and at worst a complete policy reversal.

Initially, Obama promised a healthcare bill that would expand coverage and keep insurance companies in check with a government-run insurance option and drastically cut healthcare premiums. The bill that the US Senate actually produced is a supreme disappointment to the Barack Obama of 2008; it has no public option and is essentially an insurance company bailout package.

His first term has been a string of failures and half-successes. Obama promised to overturn Don't ask, don't tell (DADT) and to fight for same-sex marriage, but he has done nothing to further gay-rights. He has not succeeded in closing Guantanamo Bay. He has neglected to discuss gun control, needle-exchanges, or mandatory minimum sentences, which are all issues adversely affecting African-Americans. At the Copenhagen Climate Conference, he failed to fulfill his promise to achieve a binding agreement.

Obama has adopted Bush’s Iraq strategy for the war in Afghanistan. Alhough he promised to engage in discussion with countries like Iran and Venezuela, his foreign policy has been timid. Obama has made no effort to shift American foreign policy away from President Bush’s conception of the “War on Terror.”

Although Obama is not to blame for America’s economic woes, he has not adequately explained how his stimulus package will benefit average Americans, leaving many citizens feeling bewildered. The US banking system, which received billions of dollars after it collapsed and effectively caused the recession, has not been newly regulated under Obama.

On Jan. 25, Obama announced a proposal for a three-year spending freeze. This policy was originally put forth by John McCain, and Obama continually attacked him for it. Herbert Hoover also implemented this policy after the 1929 financial crash. In his column for The New York Times, economist Paul Krugman called the policy “appalling on every level.”

Obama has squandered his mandate for change by acting so tepidly throughout his first year in office. He has isolated his most enthusiastic supporters while failing to convince his most enthusiastic detractors.

Pro - Stephen Miniotis

Barack Obama has gone from being known for his famous slogan, “Yes, we can” to a more subdued posture in the past few months. While it may lack the vim and vigor of his campaign platform, his new outlook is a positive change.

When Obama arrived at the White House, the expectations of an entire nation, not to mention the entire world, were on his shoulders. Bush left him with two wars and the worst economic depression since the Great Depression. How could one man possibly live up to all the hype?

It is easy to claim that Obama has “done nothing,” as satirized in a recent SNL skit. This could not be further from the truth. In one short year, Obama has appointed the first Latino Supreme Court Justice, and has signed legislation that guarantees women equal pay in Illinois. Obama has also passed an economic recovery bill, which is slowly progressing. He has promised to send additional troops to Afghanistan and he began the pullout in Iraq. Obama also passed the bailout of the auto industry and pressured their management to make changes.

It has only been one year. JFK’s first year was considered a failure and Abraham Lincoln ended his first year in tremendous debt and with very few results to show for it. Obama has a lot left to do, and a lot of time to do it.

Obama's 2009 Nobel Peace Prize win demonstrates that critics should not only ask, “What has Obama done?” but “Who does Obama stand for?” Obama captured the world’s attention and gave hope for a better future. He has inspired a new climate in international politics. Multilateral diplomacy has regained its footing, with a focus on international institutions, such the UN. This is a marked step away from Bush's unilateral approach.

Let us keep our critical eyes on Obama, but refrain from Fox News-style derision. In one year, Obama has done more to change the course of history than most of the presidents before him, not only for what he represents, but by asking critical questions and starting debates on important issues, such as universal healthcare. Obama has become a voice for those who felt they had none, and he has done it with a tattered economy and two wars waging. Give him two terms, and Obama will be remembered not for the colour of his skin, but for his positive actions.