Clinton. Blair. Obama.
I remember the great optimism many of us felt when Bill Clinton was elected as President. In terms of policies he turned out to be more or less “a Republican with a kinder face”, and his zipper problems sowed the seeds of his own destruction.
By the time he left office I was sick and tired of him. Eventually I could not support Hillary (great as she is) as I did not want to see WJC anywhere near the White House.
My native U.K. subjects, (folks are subjects in the U.K, not citizens) were similarly filled with hope when Tony Blair took over from the Thatcher/Major disaster.
In due course they became heartily sick with his “in bed with Uncle Sam” foreign policies; and tired of his dissembling.
Now many of them cannot wait to see the exit of his successor, Gordon ”Hapless” Brown, the current Premier and leader of the Labour Party.
Clinton, Blair and Obama are most certainly some of the most intelligent leaders of our era.
But Clinton and Blair had fatal flaws - I suspect that in both cases they are emotionally needy people – all too prone to believe their own propaganda.
Now my optimism is renewed with the dawn of the Obama era.
I suspect that unlike Clinton and Blair, he is not a needy person. He seems to be comfortable in his own skin. And it maybe that unlike Blair and Clinton he will not have to learn on the job, - life, education, experience and Michelle have well prepared him well for this new task.
I SO MUCH HOPE SO.
So I end with an extract from Maya Angelou’s poem at the first Clinton inaugural. (The whole poem makes Elizabeth Alexander’s offering yesterday sound like a ditty!)
Here on the pulse of this new day
By the time he left office I was sick and tired of him. Eventually I could not support Hillary (great as she is) as I did not want to see WJC anywhere near the White House.
My native U.K. subjects, (folks are subjects in the U.K, not citizens) were similarly filled with hope when Tony Blair took over from the Thatcher/Major disaster.
In due course they became heartily sick with his “in bed with Uncle Sam” foreign policies; and tired of his dissembling.
Now many of them cannot wait to see the exit of his successor, Gordon ”Hapless” Brown, the current Premier and leader of the Labour Party.
Clinton, Blair and Obama are most certainly some of the most intelligent leaders of our era.
But Clinton and Blair had fatal flaws - I suspect that in both cases they are emotionally needy people – all too prone to believe their own propaganda.
Now my optimism is renewed with the dawn of the Obama era.
I suspect that unlike Clinton and Blair, he is not a needy person. He seems to be comfortable in his own skin. And it maybe that unlike Blair and Clinton he will not have to learn on the job, - life, education, experience and Michelle have well prepared him well for this new task.
I SO MUCH HOPE SO.
So I end with an extract from Maya Angelou’s poem at the first Clinton inaugural. (The whole poem makes Elizabeth Alexander’s offering yesterday sound like a ditty!)
Here on the pulse of this new day
You may have the grace to look up and out
And into your sister's eyes, and intoYour brother's face, your country
And say simply
Very simply
With hope
Good morning.
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