Is the Real Obama a Fake? Will the burden be too great?
Last Updated on Friday, 06 November 2009 09:20 Written by Norm Tucker Monday, 02 November 2009 19:48
Many a politician lies mortally wounded on the field of excessive expectations. Barack Obama seems to be either good or lucky (O'Bama?) or both. He has won the Nobel Prize. He's taken charge to revitalize the world's economy. A Billion Dollar Health Bill is on its way. All his problems so far were inherited. Yet the critics have unsheathed their knives.
We are in to month-10 of the Obama presidency of the United States of America. Our first articles on this website quite by accident addressed Obama's leadership of the G-8 and the G-20. He took charge on Day 1 and started to lead the world's economies out of recession. And it looks like the corner has been turned. This alone is worthy of the Nobel Peace Prize.
Has an American president been involved internationally so early in his presidency? No.
Good intentions? The audacity of hope? Have you noticed the change between the Bush administration and the one led by Obama? What would have happened in the financial crises without Obama's intervention and leadership? I shudder to think. It may be as a friend of mine would say that Obama is the 'real deal'.
Would you care for the alternative?
No, I don't think Obama is a fake. Beyond the recession, he ensured that developing and poor nations would not lose their financial options. He has reengaged the Middle East peace process. He has eliminated the Eastern Europe Missile Shield. He has put international and United Nations pressure on Iran to prevent that country from becoming a nuclear power. He arranged a negotiated settlement for the two reporters imprisoned in North Korea. He has successfully pursued a negotiated settlement to the Honduran presidency crises. Not bad, eh?
In ten months, he has genuinely improved relationships around the world and reduced stress and antagonisms in ten short months.
Then, there's Afghanistan, Pakistan, The Taliban, the crooked election and the American commander-in-chief wants another 40,000 combat troops out there. It's a tough call. But have you noticed Pakistan's army is now engaged to take back control of its territory from the Taliban. That's the way forward. Afghanistan and Pakistan have to do it on their own. America can provide money and arms but keep troops out.
Neither Russia, nor the British, nor the American have ever won in the Hindu Kush and the Khyber Pass - nor will they. The Khyber Pass - the way through to India - traversed by Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan and others over the centuries where Winston Churchill said "each rock and hill along the pass had a story to tell". And let me suggest that story would involve blood. The poet Rudyard Kipling described the pass as "a sword cut through the mountain".
Will foreigners solve the ancient, interminable problems and perceived wrongs in the Hindu Kush? Not likely. That is the lesson Obama is just beginning to learn. It is the inhabitants that need to sort out their own troubles as was done recently in Nepal (against the Maoists) and in Sri Lanka (against the Tamils).
Do we want an America in charge of or leading the charge of everything? I hope not. My vote, in this Third Millennium is for "less is more". Perhaps the Nobel Committee felt the same way.
What has turned out to be a fraud though is a piece of photo journalism by Shepard Fairey. See below.
The artist has admitted unfair copyright use, and cover up. You can read the New York Daily News - Associated Press article by clicking on the above image.
I was fascinated to read former Canadian senator and disarmament ambassador, Doug Roche's article in the October 2009 issue of the World Federalist's Magazine, Mondial titled 'Obama a transitional figure for peace'. It's on page 12. Mr. Roche's comments come from a speech he made to the Pugwash Conference in March, many months before the Nobel committee selected the winner of the peace prize. Here's a quote from that speech.
"Barack Obama has a profound understanding of the elements of a culture of peace. These elements are: respect for life and the dignity and human rights of individuals; rejection of violence; recognition of equal rights for men and women; support for the principles of democracy, freedom, justice, solidarity, tolerance, the acceptance of differences and communication and understanding between nations and countries and between ethnic, religious, cultural and social groups...."
"There is a lot of heavy lifting to be done to move the world from a culture of peace. President Obama cannot be expected to do this heavy lifting alone...."
Some results of this heavy lifting can be seen in the photograph below taken the morning after the Democrats lost two governorship elections in New Jersey and Virginia. These results were seen as a mini referendum on Barack Obama. He looks tired - not a man imbued with the spirit of hope. Perhaps, he even looks like a man who will do his best over one term and then leave public life.
I think Doug Roche is right. Obama is a transitional figure and he will not be able to solve all the world's problems on his own. Nor should he.
It's time for others to step up to the plate, not only in the United States of America - but elsewhere in the world.
As an epilogue, let me include the cartoon (above) from today's issue of Cascadia Weekly. This cartoon gives the reader some idea of the difficulties from the Republican opposition in implementing a national health care plan for the 30 to 35 million Americans who have no health plan because they can't afford it.
No plan - no human plan is perfect, but you have to start somewhere and then improve on it.