Crushing Your Enemies, Seeing Them Driven Before You, and Hearing the Lamentations of the Executives

So, during my thrice daily online news roundup (Drudge Report, the Huffington Post, International Herald Tribune, BBC, heck sometimes Al Jazera) I came upon an article that piqued my interest.

Much of the these initial stages of the Obama Administration have been spent just cleaning up the mess of the last eight years. That is, getting the government back to work I suppose, not to mention the vast majority of time spent hiring and firing and deliberating on who works for the government, who works for the people, and who had an agenda contrary to democracy. Gotta love those slow creaky gears of the republic eh? You can practically hear Rahm Emanuel spreading grease.

But, many think (myself included at times), that Barack Obama will end up being less of a progressive, than the moderate-if not somewhat comprising, figure...closer to Clinton the triangulator than say FDR or even Eisenhower (come on, he really defended the New Deal from his own Party).

For instance, Obama reduced the real life issue of revisiting the country's Marajuana Laws to a joke, a jest, a media friendly chuckle. In this case the question was worded poorly. It asked, in part, that wouldn't the legalization of marajuana be a an economic boon to the lagging U.S. economy.

First, the step needed to correct the long lost War on Drugs is decriminalization. This question also overlooks the obvious. How much money has been and continues to be wasted on the loosing war? How much is spent criminalizing whole swathes of the American public and incarcerating them? How much money can be spent to protect people from a plant? Whatever, I am getting too far from the article.

So, my concern is that Barack Obama is too much a moderate, unwilling or unable to correct the multitudes of errors made this past century. Daunting task? You betcha. But then i read this article, linked via the Huffington Post.

Ok, so what if Obama doesn't posture like the macho cowboy or bang his fist on the bully pulpit. The real deal of politics is what goes on behind the scenes. If this is
any indication, we have a lot to look forward to.

A new day

I refuse to fall into the same mind set of liberal minded folks that believe Obama is the messiah and that he is going to solve all of the world's problems. I do, however, take umbrage with the fierce (and at times froth-mouthed) resentment that Obama has garnered before being sworn in. The weeks following 9/11 Bush's approval were up to around 90%. That means that 90% of this country stopped the petty bickering and rallied behind the leader of this nation. We are at a very important time in America's history, I hope we can see the same kind of unity under an Obama administration. I have my doubts. Rush Limbaugh (and his ilk) calls the whole Obama inauguration the immaculation (a funny choice of words for sure). It's a simple jab at the Obama faithful. But you know, I've never heard Obama say that God hand-picked him for anything. It makes me wonder what Rush thought about Georgie Porgie invoking God (he can't mean literally can he?) for his reasoning to begin an unjust and immoral campaign to kill Iraq dead.

Has the pettiness returned? For sure. But the reasons why are clear. We saw the exit of a President who, while Governor of Texas, Executed developmentally disabled adults, permitted unfettered and unchecked use of wiretaps on a free nation, and showed a callous disregard to threats to American security.

My feelings towards Obama are a little ambiguous. I've read his words, listened to his speeches, and have looked into his voting record, he speaks my language on the political front (mainly that the devisive nature of American discourse slows the political process). However, one clear thing that stands out to me...He's a politician. Whether or not he was the best one for the job at any point in this election cycle, he is still one of the few with power that should not be given to any single person (Berlusconni, I've got my eye on you!!!). All that said, I am glad Obama is #44. There are worse people to have in office than a Constitutional scholar and lawyer. Besides, we should all want the same thing for all presidents: we should hope that they can steer the country in a course that leads us to prosperity, avoid destruction, and create a society that promotes the rights of all, not just the majority.

Thanks for the memories Bush. If nothing else it was terribly, terribly interesting.