Tuesday, February 05, 2008

Why Obama is good for America



Before you read any further, let me tell you that this is a biased piece and nothing is based on facts, and everything on emotion and intuition.

Barack Obama is probably the first African-American since the American Independence to stand a realistic chance of entering the White House. He talks like JFK, has shades of Abe Lincoln in him and occasionally rises to the occasion with a reverberating tempo of Martin Luther King Jr.

Does that vocal prowess make him the perfect president? Realistically no. But he sure has a lot going for him at this point. For one thing, Obama has a certain naivety that's charming.

He's obviously widely read and fairly intelligent. Intelligence is not THE quality that makes a great president. Take for example Ronald Reagan. Everybody knows that he's not the brightest of the lot but many people remember him for his warmth, his likeability and his ability to rouse a nation to their feet with a few well chosen phrases.

Sure, he might have borrowed some of those lines from his Hollywood past, but who cares, they worked!

Obama comes from a background of mixed races. He's under 50, still has that twinkle in his eyes and a little bounce on his feet. America needs someone like him to remind the nation that it's not all about foreign policy and oneupmanship.

Sometimes, the best qualities of a president are not found in his resume. It's how he relates to people. It's how he touches their hearts and brings out the best in all of them.

Can someone with an IQ of 190 inspire 270 people to do their best for the country's future and for themselves? Probably not, if all he has to offer are some well thought out solutions to complicated global issues that may have little bearing on America's future.

In a way, Obama's limited experience with political administration is an advantage. He doesn't know that much about buttering up to those with shady motives. He's not quite aware yet of the intricacies that come with huge campaign funds and moguls who perpectually like returns on their financial investments.

Obama's greatest asset right now is that he has managed to awaken the spirit in the young of America. He has managed to convince a large number of these young people that they can do something about their future.

He has urged them to believe in themselves. He has talked them out of a political stupor. Obama's speeches have brought back a certain pride in being called an American.

Right now, America is not in a very good place. No nation can be perpectually in the right place or good place after two centuries. There will be challenging times. There exist confusing times. There will be time for reconciliation.

Obama seems to stand for all these and a little bit more. Can America survive without Obama? Most certainly, it could. Does America need a person like Obama now? Most definitely, it does.

Seasoned politicians are all good at spewing rhetoric but at the end of the day, that's all there is - words. What counts is what happens after the speeches have been delivered. Will there be action? Will there be a momentum that is created by a man's inspiring words?

This man who has come of age exists now to bring America back to her feet and stand proudly to face the rest of the world, and say: "We are Americans and we represent the best there is in our nation, and in our success, we will strive that all our allies will share in our glory and our wealth, so help us God!"

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