Category Archives: Obama

Obama as a Jedi master: Health Care Edition

Americana, Current Affairs, Obama, Politics

At the end of the day, Saturday, I got home after being at a event honoring women in the military – a post on that to follow – and sat down to check the news. In the New York Times, under the article on the Pope and the latest sex scandals, was an article saying Obama Rallies Democrats in Final Push for Health Care.

The article talked about exactly what the headline said but it didn't, in my opinion, really capture the moment. C-SPAN did with the meeting on video – I guess we can't really say video-tape any more – and it was truly extraordinary. Who ever called the meeting to order, first talked about House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and how she was going to do something that no other House Speaker has been able to do.

About that time, Michele came in and said I am hungry. I said I am too, let's go out and get something to eat. But I want to watch this for a minute. We started watching the meeting again, at the beginning, and  and an hour later, we finally went out to dinner. Feeling much better about America. If you have an hour, watch the meeting here, you won't regret it.

To quote Michael Scherer in his article titled Without A Teleprompter, in Time's Swampland:

We knew president Obama would give a speech today to House Democrats.
We didn't know it would be this good of a speech. The video below is
just the last ten minutes of an address that lasted about 30 minutes.

I suggest you start watching at 2 minutes. The president takes his
caucus on the political equivalent of a guided meditation. Assuming the
bill passes, this is political rhetoric for the history books.

Gays in the military: Obama as a Jedi master

Obama, What's a man?

A week or couple ago, Jon Stewart was on the Bill O'Reilly show – The Factor to the consignetti – and O'Reilly asked Stewart how is President Obama is doing, so far? Stewart answered that he wasn't sure if  Obama is a Jedi master playing chess on a three level board, or if this is kicking his ass. He then went on to say that it is complicated.

It seems to me that in the matter of gays in the military – atleast – Obama is playing it like a Jedi master. First the Chief of the Joint Chiefs, Admiral Mike Mullen, came out in favor of letting open gays serve in the military saying I have served with homosexuals since 1968. Everybody in
the military has.,

Mullins

then General Colin Powell came out in support.

Now, General David Petraeus

Commander-of-the-us-central-command-gen-david-petraeus

has come out in support. It just seems to be spontaneously happening. But, of course, it isn't spontaneous. But it is happening. My guess – and my hope – is that by summer, DADT will be history.

A State Dinner

Americana, Obama

I am blown away that today Barrack Obama and Michele Obama, or as it said on the official program – The President & First Lady Michelle Obama – had a State Dinner. It brings tears to my eyes.

Years ago I heard a speech given by Pat Schroeder, then the US Representative from Colorado’s First District. In the speech, she talked about taking some sort of government trip to India aboard an Air Force plane. The Air Force, sort as a RF according to Schroeder, sent along a ground crew composed of women and racial minorities. Schroeder talked about how the diversified and hard working (no George Bushes at Yale there) crew impressed the Indians.

The Indians saw the diversity as a strength that only the United States had. It was what, in their eyes (and mine), made this a great country. And now, years later, the Obama Administration’s first State Dinner is to honor India and it was a showcase of diversity. Starting at the top!

And, Wow!, did the Obama look like they were having fun.

The Obamas

Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India and his wife Ms. Gursharan Kaur were there, of course; along with expected guests such as Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Deepak Chopra and his wife Rita Chopra, and Secretary of the Department of Energy Steven Chu and his wife.

Guests1

Steven Spielberg should be expected, I guess, but Alfre Woodard (I’ve been in love with Alfre ever since Passion Fish) with a black guy named Blair Underwood is a surprise, and I had to Google Jhumpa Lahiri and Alberto Vourvoulias to find out she is an American Indian author and he, her husband, is the editor of the nation’s oldest Spanish language newspaper. Of course, Colin Powell and his wife, Alma Powell were there. And Katie Couric and Obama’s sister, Dr. Maya Soetoro-Ng with her husband, and Mrs. Marian Robinson. Think about that, a white woman who probably helped Obama get elected just by doing her job; a half Indonesian woman teacher; and a black woman from Chicago’s south-side. These were people who were invisible when I was growing up.

Maybe the important things aren’t the bogged down Healthcare Bill, or Afghanistan, but the fact that Obama is changing what it means to be an American. No wonder the birthers are going nuts.