Is it just me, or do you agree that Stephen Harper is completely afraid of Canadians engaging in any kind of Barack Obama adulation. I'm not really into hero worship but it was hard not to notice that in the lead up to the Presidential Election Barack Obama was eliciting a certain kind of enthusiastic response that has been noticeably lacking in our politics for some time.
I can't remember an American President who was so widely popularized in foreign countries, except perhaps John F. Kennedy. Reagan did get cheered at that SS cemetery in Germany but I think those were mostly neo-Nazis. (Obligatory Reagan joke.)
Our photo archives are full of Trudeau and Nixon meeting and talking in front of the media. The two loathed one another but they did meet out in the open. My point is I think what Harper is doing is unprecedented and without class.
Can you think of any other democracy where the Head of State is not allowed to greet a foreign leader in the open presence of a free media?
Does Stephen Harper fear Obamamania will infect Canada?
Please recommend this post
Showing posts with label Barck Obama. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Barck Obama. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Monday, January 26, 2009
Obama Ends War on Terror?
Convoluted. A Yahoo.com fluff piece asserts that Barack Obama has ended America's war on terror. Yahoo cites a feed from AFP which in turn has a non-value added rehash of a Washington Post editorial. Yahoo lazily identifies the Washinton Post as 'the media'.
Since the WP's editorials are behind a firewall its hard to know which one the recyclers are referring to. A search of the phrase 'declares an end to war on terror' reveals a number of editorials and light-hearted obituaries on the war.
It seems that the proposed closing of Guantanamo Bay, the closure of illegal CIA torture dungeons in foreign countries, and the widespread rescinding of President Bush's legal orders and opinions on torture, somehow equates to the ending of the war on terror.
Having listened to many of President Obama's speeches in the Presidential Election, not to mention his inauguration speech, it seems to me he didn't get the talking points memo about ending the war on terror. He always struck me as rather belligerent and hawkish. If you're a terrorist somewhere wanting to test this new leaders resolve you can either believe the Washington Post or the incoming missiles.
Changing some tactics and strategies yes, ending no. President Obama may well end up being too hawkish for many liberals, but there is no amount of gratuitous violence that would satisfy conservatives. See Gaza. I've seen this movie before. No fairy tale ending.
I think i get why the Washington Post is pushing this distortion.
During the election the strategy of McCain-Palin intellectual juggernaut was to try and say Barack Obama would be soft on terror. In its most extreme forms people who should have known better claimed Obama was a secret magic Muslim who was the head of a secret magic advance front of Jihadists. At times it was screamingly hilarious were it not for the fact that it was landing on such fertile ground. You can scar someone for life by threating to take away their Bible and their pork.
The Washington Post is just tapping out some morse code to the half-wits. Danger danger, be afraid. Please recommend this post
Since the WP's editorials are behind a firewall its hard to know which one the recyclers are referring to. A search of the phrase 'declares an end to war on terror' reveals a number of editorials and light-hearted obituaries on the war.
It seems that the proposed closing of Guantanamo Bay, the closure of illegal CIA torture dungeons in foreign countries, and the widespread rescinding of President Bush's legal orders and opinions on torture, somehow equates to the ending of the war on terror.
Having listened to many of President Obama's speeches in the Presidential Election, not to mention his inauguration speech, it seems to me he didn't get the talking points memo about ending the war on terror. He always struck me as rather belligerent and hawkish. If you're a terrorist somewhere wanting to test this new leaders resolve you can either believe the Washington Post or the incoming missiles.
Changing some tactics and strategies yes, ending no. President Obama may well end up being too hawkish for many liberals, but there is no amount of gratuitous violence that would satisfy conservatives. See Gaza. I've seen this movie before. No fairy tale ending.
I think i get why the Washington Post is pushing this distortion.
During the election the strategy of McCain-Palin intellectual juggernaut was to try and say Barack Obama would be soft on terror. In its most extreme forms people who should have known better claimed Obama was a secret magic Muslim who was the head of a secret magic advance front of Jihadists. At times it was screamingly hilarious were it not for the fact that it was landing on such fertile ground. You can scar someone for life by threating to take away their Bible and their pork.
The Washington Post is just tapping out some morse code to the half-wits. Danger danger, be afraid. Please recommend this post
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Post Inauguration Soundtrack
The literacy and emotion of Barack Obama's Inauguration speech was astonishing to me. During the era of George Bush and Stephen Harper I forgot what a good communicator sounds like. The velocity of our dumbing down has at least been impeded somewhat. For better or worse, at least Barack Obama will speak in complete sentences. I think he will go over the head of many Americans, especially the fundamentalists and the National Post. Nuance, metaphor and poetic language are lost on many people. Expect Chuck Norris to be mad a lot.
(Aside: When Joe Biden swore to uphold the Constitution I could have sworn I heard the Chief Justice quip well that'll certainly be a change...)
After the Inauguration I put on some music.
1. America - Simon & Garfunkel
2. Aspice, Domine - Choir of Magdalen College Oxford
3. This Land is Your Land - Billy Bragg
4. Looking out My Back Door - John Fogerty
5. Le Démon Sort L'Enfer - La Bottine Souriante (A thrown bone to the religious right)
6. In A World Called Catastrophe - Matthew Good
7. Amazing Grace - Unknown female singer with a mournful beautiful voice.
8. Intuition - Feist
9. Let Em In - Paul McCartney and Wings
10. Best Things in Life - Michael Carey
Thank you Mr. Bush, the receptionist will validate your parking on the way out and give you some coupons. Please recommend this post
(Aside: When Joe Biden swore to uphold the Constitution I could have sworn I heard the Chief Justice quip well that'll certainly be a change...)
After the Inauguration I put on some music.
1. America - Simon & Garfunkel
2. Aspice, Domine - Choir of Magdalen College Oxford
3. This Land is Your Land - Billy Bragg
4. Looking out My Back Door - John Fogerty
5. Le Démon Sort L'Enfer - La Bottine Souriante (A thrown bone to the religious right)
6. In A World Called Catastrophe - Matthew Good
7. Amazing Grace - Unknown female singer with a mournful beautiful voice.
8. Intuition - Feist
9. Let Em In - Paul McCartney and Wings
10. Best Things in Life - Michael Carey
Thank you Mr. Bush, the receptionist will validate your parking on the way out and give you some coupons. Please recommend this post
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