Obama to Vets: Afghan War Is 'of Necessity'

The Dow is up more than 2,600 points, at least

(NEWSER) - President Obama is about to celebrate—maybe that's not the right term—one year in office, and the AP takes a look at some numbers that have defined his inaugural turn around the sun.

• The Dow: Perhaps the only clear victory. The Dow Jones Industrial Average has risen from 7,949.09 on Jan. 20, 2009, to close at 10,609.65 on Friday.
• Unemployment: 13 million adults were out of work when Obama took office. That number is now 14.7 million.

Terrorism trumped health care over vacation, and there's more

(NEWSER) - President Obama is back at the White House after an 11-day vacation in Hawaii, and he has his work cut out for him. USA Today runs down the most pressing issues awaiting the president in 2010.

• Terrorism: The attempted bombing of Flight 253 returned security to the top of the list. Some heads may roll after the near-catastrophe.

After 'yearlong drift,' Obama can't keep passing buck to Bush

(NEWSER) - President Obama loves to blame things on George W. Bush, and on Monday he did it again, referring to the “long years of drift in Afghanistan.” He must be trying to “explain away his own, well, yearlong drift on Afghanistan,” writes Charles Krauthammer . In March, Obama solemnly announced a new strategy following what he called a “comprehensive strategy review.” Now, he obviously wants to switch course. More»

Support for public option also grows; GOP isn't more popular, though

(NEWSER) - New poll numbers out today hold good news and bad for the Obama administration. Support is rising for a troop surge in Afghanistan, the NBC/Wall Street Journal survey finds, and nearly half now favor a public option in the health-care reform measures now under consideration. The bad news: 58% said the economy is still in the tank, a 6% increase from September. More»

New prez is doing fine in Iran, Iraq, Pakistan, but no one notices

(NEWSER) - Despite the howls of protest over President Obama's Nobel Prize and the administration’s "dithering" on Afghanistan , the fact is that the new president’s foreign endeavors deserve good marks, says Juan Cole. Cole gives Obama an A for his Iranian statesmanship, a B for pulling out of Iraq as promised—albeit coordinating poorly with the Iraqis—and a B for making Pakistan own “the problem of the Pakistani Taliban.” Not bad for eight months. More»