In November, Americans elected then-Senator Barack Obama to be the next president of the United States. With that came the expectation that the president would fix the housing crisis, address the growing economic crisis and in general simply run the country to the best of his ability.

It is now the middle of March, almost 60 days into the president’s term, and I am baffled by the president’s use of time management.

This past weekend, an interview with the president aired on “60 Minutes.” Earlier last week, the president appeared on “The Tonight Show.”

In February, the president flew first to Denver and then here to Phoenix for speeches on the housing crisis.

And, of course, there is the much-anticipated May commencement ceremony for ASU in which the president will give a speech.

Given all of this, I have to wonder why the president hasn’t yet stopped campaigning.

The election is over; he is the president of the United States. Now is the time to work on the economy and unemployment. Now is the time to advocate for his universal health-care plan.

In other words, now is the time to be a president.

Now is not the time to begin campaigning for 2012; now is the time to be changing the ways of Washington.

The trip to Phoenix in February and again in May can only be described as campaigning. And is that really fair?

When campaigning in 2008, the president promised change. Though I did not vote for him, I still hold him to that promise.

This is certainly different, but not quite what I think anyone expected.

When the president spoke about “change,” I assumed that meant for the good. Or at least what he thought was good. Health care for all people is a quality ambition. Lowering unemployment and helping people who have fallen by hard times because of the recession are also noble goals.

So where is all of that? Where is the change?

The president should busy himself with running the country, not worrying about what happens four years from now. He was elected to be a president now, not to work on his future ambitions.

The least he can do is give us a month or two of actual work before he starts campaigning again. I guess that is just too much to ask for.

Janne is a criminal justice graduate student and can be reached at janne.gaub@asu.edu.