Rob Reynolds, Al Jazeera’s senior Washington correspondent joined the Livestation chat room to discuss the challenges Barack Obama will face as President and look back at the Bush years.

It was the second time Rob has taken part in a special hour-long chat session, the last time was in the run up to the election.

Livestation’s moderators would like to thank all those who took part in the chat. At one point there were 250 people in the chat room.

The following is a transcript of selected questions and answers from the session, which took place on Thursday evening, 15 January.

Rob Reynolds: Hello from Washington. I’m very glad to be here for our chat.

Al Jazeera mod: Let’s start off – five days left of the Bush administration. Let’s start with the current US president – what do you think is his legacy for the US and the world?

Rob Reynolds: Thanks— clearly he leaves a very troubled legacy from the war in Iraq, the unfinished battle versus the Taliban in Afghanistan, from the war in Iraq, the unfinished battle versus the Taliban in Afghanistan, the lowered respect for the US abroad as a result of Guantanamo, Abu Ghraib, etc, but his supporters, and there still are some in this country, would say that President Bush kept the US safe from another attack along the lines of 9/11, and that his contributions in areas like, for example, fighting AIDS in Africa have been overlooked, so it’s a huge and controversial legacy… the American people have made up their minds for the most part, while outgoing presidents usually get some kind of warm feeling toward the end, Bush is as unpopular as he has ever been right now, just 27% approval rating.

CHM (Chicago): Rob, Obama’s Sec. of State Hillary Clinton announced her support for Israel during this crisis at her confirmation. How can we expect a real change in US policy toward Israel under Obama?

Rob Reynolds: OK, as far as Mideast policy, remember that the political forces in the US favour politicians who show strong support for Israel. That’s not about to change under Obama, and he has made some very strong statements of support already, even in the context of the Gaza war. However, he says he is going to work harder toward a peace agreement than certainly Bush did— Bush neglected the Middle East for years. So, I guess I would say, don’t look for a really radical change in policy, but look for a greater degree of engagement and work.

CHM (Chicago): Rob, Obama made a lot of promises during his campaign to extricate himself from Bush’s ME policy, but throughout the months he’s moved to the right on his positions on Iraq and Israel, so what are his “promises” good for?

Rob Reynolds: CHM, I remember way back in June Obama was showing very strong rhetorical support for Israel, so there’s really no surprise there for me. I think, as lame as it is to say it, and I apologise, that really we will have to wait and see what the new admin does, I have to say thought that it’s kind of disappointing that Secretary of State-designate Clinton is surrounding herself with lots of old faces from her husband’s administration, and there aren’t any of the many qualified and insightful Arab-American or Iranian -American scholars on her team.

Devil’s Advocate: Rob, do you think all that aid money given to Israel is justified, when people are losing jobs, would you agree that it needs to be reviewed after what has happened these last three weeks ?

Rob Reynolds: Devil’s Advocate, perhaps the amount of aid to Israel will be reviewed, in light of the economy, but I wouldn’t count on it. There are very strong political forces in the USA that support Israel and the reasons are complex. I think people abroad do not really understand that. The money being sent to Israel is certainly large, 30 billion over 10 years for military assistance – but when you are looking at trillions of dollars in bailout and recovery packages, it’s actually a fairly small amount in the big picture.

Des, UK: Rob, Do you not see this as a circle? Given the current system which forces diplomats to side with Israel, do you not think it’s almost impossible for a group of Arab-Americans to reach such a position?

Rob Reynolds: Des, that’s an excellent question. First off, the Arab American community is somewhat smaller and less well organized. Perhaps if they had the same level of organization and funding that AIPAC (http://www.aipac.org/), for instance has then the political forces would shift, : but I have to say a lot of people in the US simply admire Israel. It is difficult for many abroad to see that but it is true. The negative images of the Muslim world on American television, for instance, are a big hindrance to seeing that community for what it is.

Viewer: Rob: Is it true to say there is a pattern to which presidents are elected, meaning you have a republican president followed by a democratic president. Is it fair to say the republicans need the democrats to clean up after them?

Rob Reynolds: Your point about Republican being followed by Democrats is a fair one. I think the voters get tired of the party in power after a while and turn to another party.

Uar: Rob, do you think we will we see a shift in policy under Obama?

Rob Reynolds: Yes Uar I do. Remember Obama is a trained constitutional lawyer. His Attorney General designate just today, in fact told congress that he agreed water boarding is torture and illegal, so we see a shift there already. The danger is however, that once a president has taken some power he didn’t have before, won’t the next president be tempted to keep that power? Obama might say, ‘well, I will only use my new powers for good purposes’, but that’s the way, bit by bit, that our constitution is eroded. The erosion has been rapid under Bush.

Devil’s Advocate: Obama’s greatest problem will be the expectations we all have :)

Rob Reynolds: I agree Devil’s that the expectations for Obama are very high. He’s not going to be able to do everything everyone expects of him, pure and simple. It’s probably a significant disadvantage for him politically that many people seem to see him as sort of superhuman. It’s just bound to disappoint someone. I think he will concentrate a lot on domestic, economic issues. I think the tone he sets with Israel and the Palestinians from the first will be important.

Sarah, Canada: Will we see a fair and just leader in Obama? Or is this an idealistic and euphoric question??

Rob Reynolds: Sarah from Canada—there’s nothing wrong with idealism! But seeing the size of the problems Obama inherits, we have to stay realistic.

CHM (Chicago): Rob: How do you see Obama progressing in Afghanistan? It seems like that whole war has been a failed enterprise. Can he change it?

Rob Reynolds: CHM thanks for the Afghan question… I think he has said he is really going to put more effort into Afghanistan…but a lot of people in Washington— like Senator John Kerry—say just pumping in a bunch more troops isn’t the answer. I’m not an expert on Afghanistan but it seems to me that the country needs roads, jobs, development more than lots of new troops running around with guns, certainly enough men with guns there…

Viewer: Rob, do you think racism is still an issue for Obama?

Rob Reynolds: We didn’t talk much about the race issue so far, but yes, racism is a reality in the US and everywhere else. I really do think that the fact a black man has been elected in the US shows that the country has changed. Yes, there will always be idiots running around shouting racist slogans and wearing Klan robes, but hey, NORTH CAROLINA voted for Obama! What does that tell you?

Tariq: Rob Reynolds – how does the Jewish-Americans see Obama??

Rob Reynolds: Obama has been viewed with some suspicion by a number of Jewish Americans. They appear to have preferred Hillary Clinton for president, so I think that’s a reason why Obama has been mostly silent about Gaza and has been speaking up about supporting Israel a lot. It’s a political reality, folks.

Umar – (Anadolu): Rob, Do you think that if Americans knew what Islam really was they would take it?

Rob Reynolds: Umar, I think a lot of Americans are very poorly informed about Islam, and about the countries of the Muslim world. I think it’s a very slow process to change long-held perceptions.

Viewer: What will Obama’s priorities be?

Rob Reynolds: Priorities in office? I think Obama has got to try to get a handle on the economy. Personally think the key to that is a new energy policy. Reliance on old polluting carbon based fuels is not only destroying the environment it is keeping the US from being innovative and creating new jobs.

Bemp: The first priority must be a clean unequivocal break with what came before with no ambiguity

Rob Reynolds: Bemp, you can’t have a COMPLETELY clean break with history, but I think Obama will be a very different president from George Bush

Anomie: Rob-Ehud Olmert this week shed light upon US decision to abstain from the UN resolution calling for a ceasefire. What does this tell us about the nature of Israeli influence over US foreign policy?

Rob Reynolds: About the UN abstention—there are two different stories going around. Olmert is bragging that he practically ordered Bush to order Rice to abstain, but the White House and State Dept say that’s all fiction. I don’t know which one to believe frankly, but I think Olmert has a LOT of influence.

Manolis ATHENS: The thing is that this war on Gaza is leaving many of us profoundly traumatized, it will be hard to rebuild trust of any kind. I’m afraid of more terrorism and I wonder how terrorist incidents might influence any prospect of policy change by Obama?

Rob Reynolds: Manolis, good question. I think Obama will, if confronted by an attack on US soil, behave differently from Bush’s response.

FooBar (Switzerland): Rob, do you think Israel will have the same influence on Obama?

Rob Reynolds: I have been saying, yes, Israel is influential in US politics. It is a reality no president can ignore. How would he react? I think he would be more moderate, not throw all constitutional safeguards out the window, and certainly not attack a country that had no role in the attack. Obama has said he will take a look at the erosion of constitutional rights and liberties under Bush. But remember folks, I’m not an Obama employee and I’m not a soothsayer!

Redsea: Joe Biden said that a foreign power would test the young president. I think that foreign power is Israel. What do you think?

Rob Reynolds: Redsea, I think that’s a very good question— probably not what Biden had in mind, but it does look as if the Gaza war will be Obama’s first important test.

Anomie: Rob Do you think Obama cares much for the so called special relationship between US and UK?

Rob Reynolds: Anomie, that’s a good one, it seems like Obama and Sarkozy have hit it off a lot more than Obama and Brown. It seems like Sarkozy is really the more energetic ‘face’ of Europe, to oversimplify things quite a bit. But the US-UK relationship is very important and unlikely to change very much very quickly. I think a lot depends on the UK and how it integrates with the EU, frankly.

Devil’s Advocate: A lot of people are expecting big things about Africa from Obama , do you think he will deliver on any or even get involved in the Congo and Zimbabwe problems?

Rob Reynolds: I personally cannot wait for Obama’s first trip as President to Africa—what a fantastic day that will be, but yes, I think he will take a special interest in the continent simply because of his background but to be honest, I think crises like Zimbabwe are not being resolved simply because the international community doesn’t have the will to really exert itself because there’s not as much for them to gain from it.

Sarah, Canada: Will Obama be successful in ridding the Americans of issues regarding racism… we’re in the third millennium and to this day we’re still tackling issues of race and racism. When will it end?

Rob Reynolds: Sarah—I’m afraid racism and prejudice are part of the human condition. The best we can do is try to change… and I think change is real

Viewer: Rob do you think Obama can handle the issues of the world … as of today?

Rob Reynolds: How much can he do— I think, he can do a lot, but it’s easier to wreck than to build. Our current president, in my opinion, has done a lot of wrecking— now we have the slower and more difficult process of rebuilding.

Angry Russian CZAR: Question: Will Russo-American relations change with an Obama Presidency?

Rob Reynolds: Angry Russian. I think the relationship isn’t very good right now, and Russia-US relations are going to be a BIG challenge for Obama, because Russia is more assertive and seems want to exert much more influence over its former soviet states— like Georgia.

Viewer: Will Obama be able to restore the view of Americans throughout the world?

Rob Reynolds: Viewer, I think we can agree that the US image now is pretty bad so I think that anyone new in the white house— even if it were Clinton or McCain— would automatically get a bit of a boost from international public opinion. But Obama, because of his background, youth, charisma will get even more of the ‘benefit of the doubt’ from many people around the world. I think Obama will be more careful in his rhetoric for one thing. No more ‘bring em on’ or ‘dead or alive’ statements. I just cannot conceive of Obama saying anything like that. He is more subtle and careful in what he says. So, 1. You have his image, as person of color, which many round the world will appreciate and 2. You have his policies and rhetoric, which I think will be in many areas quite different from those of President Bush.

Des, UK: Rob, the issue I feel is that Obama is very much pop figure and due to his culture/background. Would it not be very easy to target him if he doesn’t go along with what other forces require?

Rob Reynolds: Des, every President is going to have periods of unpopularity and detractors. The most important thing for his success, if he is to succeed, people, is this: whether the US unemployment rate is better in 2012 than it is now. If it is, he will be re elected; if it isn’t, he will have a fight on his hands

Redsea: Rob do you see any Israeli bias in Al Jazeera reporting?

Rob Reynolds: Redsea, we are trying as hard as we can to be even-handed

Libuna (Czech Republic): is it needful to choose a dog for life in the white house . I was quiet shocked to listen the news about it.

Rob Reynolds: Libuna, he has two little kids and they want a dog… it’s not a requirement— but if you are a parent you know how persuasive a kid can be! And on that note, I’m going to sign off

Al Jazeera mod: Thanks everyone for all your comments and questions and thanks of course to Rob!

Rob Reynolds: Thank you all very much for your comments and questions. I am very proud to see so many well informed and thoughtful viewers of our channel.