As the opening act of Obama’s fledgling presidency unfolded, the country — and the
world — kept a close eye on the 44th
president’s every important move.

During Obama’s first national news conference as president, he rallies support for a stimulus package that leading Republicans criticize widely as a massive budget buster. By the time interest on the national debt is paid, the cost of the package will exceed $1 trillion, critics say. Obama vows to do “whatever it takes” to put America back to work, adding that the economy could be back on track by 2010 “if we get things right.”