Nancy Janecek, Gulfport;
I think he has got a lot on his shoulders that he inherited from the previous administration. But I think he is genuinely trying to work all through this. He is starting to be accepted by a lot of people who never expected to give him a chance and now he seems to be very well accepted by the European community abroad as well. His idea to lift the embargo on Cuba shows that it’s really about time to open the doors of the US to Cuba. I’m sure a lot of people in Florida will be happy. There are a lot of people in the US with family still there and it’s been such a struggle for them. I think President Obama is working one by one through some of the major issues affecting this country, and I think the US appreciates his candor and his efforts.

Trevor Briggs, Gulfport, Resident Alien from London:
I think he’s done a very good job considering he got a lot of the old guard conservatives in the House trying to block every change he’s been trying to make. I wish people would stop dissing him and give him a chance. It’s still very early to turn a ship around that’s sinking as fast as this one. He’s got so much that needs fixing that I’m afraid he’s stretching himself a bit thin. But I don’t think he’s overextended as he seems to be handling the challenges very well. I heard on the news today an observation someone made about Cuba; we can travel as Americans to countries that use terrorism as part of their political tactics, but we can’t travel to our nearest neighbor, Cuba, who seems to pose no threat to the US. I hope he can get the whole Cuba issue to open up. Also, if he can change the public perception of the economy so that people feel better about it, it will get better. It’s all about perception and I think people are eager to listen to the President when he talks about better times coming along.

Mark Sheffield, St. Pete:
I like what he’s done with the stimulus package, but of course there are some flaws and no one side is going to be totally happy. But at least President Obama has been smart enough to surround himself with good, solid people around him; people who have experience, even if he doesn’t; great back-up, especially Hillary Clinton. She strikes me as a person who can truly take care of business. She’s tough and handles herself well, with a lot of professionalism. The President made a great choice and I think his other choices are sound and positive for the country. At least he is making the conscious effort to take a shot at addressing some of the major problems in this country. I applaud him for that.