On January 20, 2009, everybody turn on your TVs, and then tell me what you see: is it an inauguration or a coronation? The democrats and their friends from Hollywood love to stage grand spectacles, and the Obama convention speech and acceptance speech were mere rehearsals for the Big One when he takes the oath of office.
McCain, Bush I and II, and Reagan all approached the presidency with a sense of humility, meaning they realized that the office was larger than them. They were mere occupants for 4 or 8 years, servants of the people and guardians of the Constitution. Clinton viewed the presidency as something for him to use, as a tool to advance his own cause, or his wife’s, or his party’s. It is only a slight exaggeration to say it was a toy for him to play with.
What about Obama? Will he view himself as a servant of The People, or their King?
What about us? Will we view him as a fallible servant of the The People, or as our King?
Barack Honolulus, Rex Americanae. BHRA*
*cf. the Catholic motto, INRI, for Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudæorum, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. John 19:19
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3 comments:
I'm too young, and too historically illiterate to say much about H.W. Bush, or Reagan. About W., though: He used our military, the lives American soldiers, soldiers of multiple other nationalities, and civilians irresponsibly, and with an air of aloofness. He treated the Katrina disaster with the same fly-over-elitist-aloofness. He and his administration, and it's backers used my tax dollars like monopoly money, quite literally. He and his administration committed war crimes. He and his wife, and his administration took our bad education system and made it worse. I say, if Obama wants to have one last party before spending the next four to eight years cleaning up this impossible mess, let him, and I'll be happy to attend.
Teddy Kennedy authored "No Child Left Behind." Bush had to compromise by leaving out school vouchers among other things, in order to get dems to vote for it. That's why it has not satisfied everyone's expectations.
I do not agree Bush committed war crimes, but how could I possibly know something like that? On the other hand, I do know this: there is no longer a Saddam Hussein firing Scud missiles at Israel. In fact, now Iraq is a U.S. ally standing geographically between Israel and Iran. And, it has U.S. military bases in it, putting us in a strategic location in the middle east.
I am anti-apotheosis for anyone, and that includes Obama, Clinton, Reagan, JFK, FDR, etc. So, photos of the Obama with halos, the construction of stages reminiscent of the Parthenon, and the worship of this mortal man do not sit well with me.
However, I do not feel anger toward him, the way so many of my fellow Americans do toward W. The anger, I think, stems from the 2000 presidential election, and it is time to get over it.
P.s. Amanda: you are not too young (there is no such thing); you are not historically illiterate. Dont put yourself down.
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