In the wake of the economic crisis and the war in Iraq, the United States of America has lost prestige on the international stage. Some even predicted America was losing its status as the world’s superpower. The American Century seemed to be over.
While these developments are far too complex to be attributed to one individual, President George W. Bush—with his unilateral war in Iraq on false pretenses, his impolitic labeling of enemy nations as the Axis of Evil, and his overall attitude of not just American exceptionalism but American prerogative—certainly didn’t do much to help.
To ask or expect the new president to fix America’s problems is just setting Obama up for failure. America doesn’t need to be the world’s foremost superpower, and it will be impossible for a president—no matter how effective he may prove to be—to cure the nation’s ills. All I ask of the new president is that he be more diplomatic, more deliberative, and more concerned with the rights and wellbeing of real people than our current President is.
While these developments are far too complex to be attributed to one individual, President George W. Bush—with his unilateral war in Iraq on false pretenses, his impolitic labeling of enemy nations as the Axis of Evil, and his overall attitude of not just American exceptionalism but American prerogative—certainly didn’t do much to help.
To ask or expect the new president to fix America’s problems is just setting Obama up for failure. America doesn’t need to be the world’s foremost superpower, and it will be impossible for a president—no matter how effective he may prove to be—to cure the nation’s ills. All I ask of the new president is that he be more diplomatic, more deliberative, and more concerned with the rights and wellbeing of real people than our current President is.
Even if Barack Obama proves to be a mediocre president, his election itself was a victory for the nation. By electing an African American to the highest government office, we have proven that we are winning the war against racism, one of the cruelest and most ingrained injustices in our society. The major parties will no longer consider minority racial status as a demerit to a potential candidate.
America is one of the most diverse nations on Earth, and now we have a president who embodies that reality. We are a nation of immigrants, and a leader in world affairs, and now we have a president who has lived overseas, who has family in other nations, who will consider the impact of his decisions on the global community, not just America’s status. He is the face of a new America, an America where people are not defined by the color of their skin, an America that not just tolerates but embraces diversity. That is a victory not just for African Americans; that’s a victory for all Americans. In fact, with the United States still the most powerful single country, I think it’s fair to say that this is a victory for the world.
America is one of the most diverse nations on Earth, and now we have a president who embodies that reality. We are a nation of immigrants, and a leader in world affairs, and now we have a president who has lived overseas, who has family in other nations, who will consider the impact of his decisions on the global community, not just America’s status. He is the face of a new America, an America where people are not defined by the color of their skin, an America that not just tolerates but embraces diversity. That is a victory not just for African Americans; that’s a victory for all Americans. In fact, with the United States still the most powerful single country, I think it’s fair to say that this is a victory for the world.
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