I read this and think, what an idiot:
"At the Democratic convention, Obama said to his fellow Americans: "We are better people than the last eight years." The ghosts of the drowned children of New Orleans and the burned children of Baghdad may have stared down sceptically – but I believe he was right. The tidal force of these four transformations is too great. And yet, and yet... I won't be sure until I watch Obama's acceptance speech through salty tears – and I hear the Statue of Liberty let out a slow sigh of relief."
Monday, November 03, 2008
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5 comments:
I read as much of it as my stomach will allow me (a few lines) and even after I close the page I feel like being sick
On the one hand you have the party of the incumbent whose fundamentalism has caused so much bloodshed.
On the other you have someone who has a measure of respect for international law, a bit of real world experience, and the ability to inspire hope where mutual hatred and suspicion has prevailed.
Of course Obama is relatively conservative and peddles a narrative of American benevolence that doesn't stand scrutiny.
Of course there is a contrast between the form of his campaign (an anti-systemic popular movement) and the content (a pro-systemic, er, popular movement).
But you know as well as I do that medium and message are not so easily spliced. Electing a black president will substantially nuance America's approach to the two-thirds world other.
Meanwhile show me a viable presidential candidate from the last fifty years who would be a better choice. That America isn't going to elect someone who will actively undermine American imperial power should be no surprise. That Americans may elect the son of a Kenyan goat-herd should at least give us grounds to believe that those in control in America know where Kenya is.
So pause the riot. It may be things will improve. At the very least your imperialist enemy will reconfigure itself. And in that instance, there's no point attacking the straw effigies of dead Caesars.
Ralph Nader, running this year, would be a better choice. Obama was the first to call for bombing Pakistan. The theatre of choosing the lesser criminal is not democracy. It would be better for all concerned if we stopped believing the theatre. I've posted on what is wrong with Obama on my blog.
Obama is GREAT for America, yet, he might not be so great for the Arab world. Unfortunately, the dictators in the Arab world don't really care if he's black or white or green... to them, if he's willing to "talk" then they are ok...
I hope once he's in office he'll rethink what he said about Iran (and do something about Syria)
Let's wait and see...
oh and of course, figure out what to do with Iraq & Israel, but i guess that's a given....... Let's see if the word "change" also applies to foreign policy
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