With his spirited speech before Congress in favour of reform Obama has once again taken the initiative. This comes after weeks of heated and sometimes hysterical debates in which people opposed to reform seemed to have taken the upper hand, in which Obama was noticeably absent from the debate and in which members of his own party fought among themselves. Dark clouds had gathered over Obama's most important domestic-policy project. The American president has now succeeded in dispersing some of these clouds, but he hasn't won over all the sceptics in his own camp. He has yet to bring together the majority he needs. After Obama's memorable appearance on Capitol Hill, one thing has become crystal clear. Bipartisanship will not be the trademark of the Obama presidency. The style of conflict between the Democratic president and the Republican opposition has now reached a new harshness. Obama is convinced that his plan is the right one. And, despite his claims of the opposite, in reality, he will not tolerate any dissent. In public, his opponents say that they are willing to compromise, but in reality they are determined to obstruct his plan. It was evident by the demonstrations held in America on 12th September after the speech where some people turn out with placard like ‘Obama is Socialist’ or ‘Stop Socialism.’ That is not a good starting point, and it shows how America continues to be divided.