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.

Obama signs the $410 billion 2009 omnibus spending bill Congress passed. It’s stuffed with nearly 9,000 earmarks, including such fishy projects as $800,000 for oyster rehabilitation and $819,000 for study of the catfish genome, despite Obama’s pledge to stop legislators from designating public funds for their own pet projects. He admits the bill is “imperfect.”