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.

In his first Saturday morning video address, Obama urges passage of Democrats’ mammoth stimulus-spending plan, which initially was slated to cost $825 billion. “I know that some are skeptical about the size and scale of this recovery plan,” he says. “I understand that skepticism, which is why this recovery plan must and will include unprecedented measures that will allow the American people to hold my administration accountable for these results.”