THE AUDACITY OF WIND


What is the point of Barrack Obama? Certainly respecting the international scene[1] never can a president have been elected carrying so many hopes, carrying so much expectation, delivered so little. When he was elected I remember saying that the hopes placed in him where wholly unrealistic; never did I imagine that he would fall so far short of even my limited expectation. On Guantanamo alone he has failed absymally. True the problem of the camp at Guantanamo Bay is more complex than many on the left would allow; still he stated that he would close the camp prior to election, he is now into his second term and it still shows no sign of being shut down. It remains a scar on America's reputation around the world. Whilst his craven surrender to the ‘security’ establishment and flagerent disregard for legal constraints respecting the use of drone strikes have thus far  been the only aspect of his Presidency to deserve the adjective, audacious.

On Syria he draws lines in the sand that might just as well be Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics for all the good they do. He has proved to be a man of many words and little action.
He is the most erudite President since Kennedy[2] and the finest orator to hold the office since the Second World War. People who combine erudition, oratory and a command of the written word with action are however rare indeed, in recent history I can only think of Trotsky and Churchill,[3] so perhaps I am judging him too harshly. However at a time when America needs to stand up to Russia and support those struggling for greater freedom and democracy in the Middle East we have a right to demand more backbone.

A way with words, the effective use of oratory is no small gift, but of an American President more is required. Obama risks being remembered not for what he did, not even for what he said, but for the way in which he said it.


[1] I am not qualified to talk about American domestic politics, though his cavalier attitude toward civil liberties and the constitution should be a cause for concern.
[2] A vastly over-rated President in my opinion; to get a new perspective on ‘Camelot’ I recommend reading Gore Vidal.
[3] Though respecting erudition this might be stretching it with Churchill.






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