I feel a little stupid admitting this, but I’m actually feeling tenuously excited about being an American again.
But every once in a while, America does something so radical, so out of the ordinary — something that old, encrusted, traditional societies like those in the Middle East could simply never imagine — that it revives America’s revolutionary “brand†overseas in a way that no diplomat could have designed or planned.
It’s that America I hope to see re-emerging with Obama’s presidency, and internationally, I think it’s already good news. I traveled quite a lot to other countries before we destroyed our international reputation with Abu Ghraib and Guantanomo (amongst other things) and I’d like to do so again without people hating me due to being an American. (Although, interestingly, just saying you’re from New York, & not America per se, grants a person more respect abroad.)
But the attacks from McCain have already started, of course: that Obama is essentially running for Carter’s 2nd term. And wow does that scare the more conservative democrats. But I’m just gonna say this once: um, wasn’t Carter right? Would we be in Iraq if we’d done the energy independence stuff he wanted to do in the 70s? Didn’t he negotiate with Iran for the hostages? Don’t get me wrong: ineffective leadership is bad all the way around, but you know, after the last however many years of opportunist nihilism we’ve experienced, an idealist well-versed in empowering rhetoric seems like a great antidote. Obama’s got a lot of leadership skills that Carter didn’t have, but what makes America work, in my humble opinion, is when Americans are inspired. And Obama does that, for a lot of people. What’s better is that he seems to be inspiring other politicians as well, and that bodes well.
So who’s your vote for VP?
Aurora, despite having been declawed by whoever lived with her before us, still has the habits of a cat with claws. She is all ferocity, no?