The Importance of Being Barack Obama.

He May Not Be A King, But...

January 20, 2009

Today is a day of celebration for millions of Americans. Some would say simply, for America. For beneath the sigh of relief that will be audible to everyone (especially those in Washington) there will be hopes and dreams. All resting on ONE MAN.

Oh, he'll have help, for sure. He knows that he won't be alone. Well, not quite alone. But the next four years will be liberally peppered with "He didn't do this" "He could have done that" "Why didn't he do this?" "Why did he do that?"

He will be asked questions for which he has no answers. He will be in the world's largest and most vulnerable bubble. He will need to delegate constantly, conscientiously and wisely. At times, he will need to seem superhuman, at other times plainly human and humane. He will have to answer to the left, right and center. He will need to beg, plead, cajole yet seem like he is not doing any of those things. He will be held to account for more things than any President before him. He will need to know that every day will start and end with scrutiny by Washington and by the country. He will never sleep soundly for the next four years but must look as if he has.

He will always need to remind himself that he campaigned for this position.

When we see him taking the oath of office for President of the United States, remember that Barack Obama is an extraordinary man, not a benevolent king or superhuman. The man, his family, his administration are NOT the New Camelot.

But the country will sleep better thinking that they are.

Welcome, O King Arthur Barack Obama!

We can all hope: Bush Will Be As Free As A Bird. (A Jailbird)

Even If...

If you think I'm going to just walk away from it all concerning George Bush, guess again. When a man batters our country relentlessly with inane neocon programs, lies to its people, lets soldiers die for his cause, and deregulates with impunity for eight years, he's must to come to terms with justice. Walking away from the presidency free as a bird is a slap in the face not only to our country, but to the rest of the world.

He should be hounded... He should hunted...Consistently.

Even if just one soldier had died...
Even if just one detainee had been tortured...
Even if just one person had been killed by Katrina...
Even if just one person had been illegally wiretapped!

Bush probably hopes and prays that the new administration will forget him. After all, "time heals all wounds." The problem is, his wounds were near fatal: to the military, to Gitmo detainees, to New Orleans, to privacy, to marriage equality, to the environment, to the economy. The country barely survived simply because Bush and Cheney were such bad shots. And they didn't count on the intelligence of their victims. (Which, according to the last polls were 78% of the country - meaning a lot of people smartened up since 2004)

(From the Washington Independent)

The consensus seems to be growing that, despite his oft-repeated desire to “look forward rather than backward” when it comes to the Bush administration’s authorization of the use of torture on detainees in American custody, President-elect Barack Obama is going to have to open some sort of official investigation of Bush-era war crimes once he takes office.

Salon’s Glenn Greenwald laid out the case in his blog on Sunday, arguing that it’s no longer optional. Given that the United States is a party to the United Nations Convention on Torture - a treaty signed by President Ronald Reagan –- and that the U.S. Constitution holds that international treaties are the highest law of the land, the United States really doesn’t have a choice: “U.S. law requires prosecutions for those who authorize torture,” writes Greenwald.

If this were another era, we would be able to watch Bush and family fleeing in a white Ford Bronco down freeways all the way to Paraguay.

Oh, for the beauties of justice!

Just a thought.

Today Is The Day: The Ultimate Sigh of Relief!

Inauguration Day. The day that few people will regret.

And those few? Let's take a look at the ones who'll be snarling at TV sets or even asking "What Inausguration? They are the 22% who still think that...

...George Bush did a marvelous job.
... he kept us safe.
... he appointed the best people for high administrative positions.
... he listened to all of his advisers.
... there are still weapons of mass destruction hidden in Iraq somewhere.
... he spoke to the common man.
... he knew what he was doing.
... he can read.
... Barack Obama is a Muslim (or A-Rab)
... it's okay to shout death threats at campaign rallies.
... Sarah Palin would have made a great President.
... Joe The Plumber is intelligent.
... The Christian Right really is right.
... Armageddon will come when Israel annihilates all the Palestinians.
... Hummers are sexy.
... The National Enquirer is a newspaper.
... Bill Clinton was the country's most immoral President.
... Ann Coulter is a nice person.
... they have to dress up to go to Wall Mart.

22% of the voting population is approximately 26 million people.
Now think of 26 million people who can't think.

Just a thought.

What We REALLY Think of Rick Warren

The reason Rick Warren's not wearing an Hawaiian shirt is because it's a bit chilly and it might seem a bit silly. He should also read the invocation backwards to symbolize his constant and consistent back-pedaling.