President Obama and healthcare

Wow, it's been a long time since I've posted! This is basically just a fleeting hope that President Obama shows some steel in his address to Congress next week. I still support him, but he been very disappointing in his willingness to seemingly negotiate away everything that makes health care reform worthwhile, all for the sake of achieving a "bi-partisan" solution that is so bi-partisan that is infuriating both sides! With his oratorical skills, this speech could be the next "Cross of Gold" speech, but I am unfortunately very skeptical.

Our new president -- some thoughts

First off, I offer congratulations to President Obama. If for no other reason, just hearing someone speak clearly and like an adult is a breath of fresh air. Fortunately, there are many other reasons to be optimistic about Mr. O (small 1776 reference :-)). The first of these that he is a symbol of what we can do when we rid ourselves of the bile of our history. The second is that he does not seem to be afraid of telling the American people some hard truths. As my friend Gene once said, one of the reasons that Ronald Reagan was so popular is that he never seemed to tell the American people anything they didn't want to hear. This led to, in a small part, the mess that we're in today. In his address, Obama admonished us to "put away childish things," and then proceeded to outline carefully the many challenges that we face. A third reason to be excited about Obama is that, unlike his predecessor (who more and more reminded me of Zapp Brannigan, with the rest of the country being a sighing Kif), he is interested in inclusiveness and having a very big tent. Call me a geek or a fanboy, but I couldn't help but hear some of the Star Trek/Roddenberry philosophy when Obama observed:

"For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus, and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace."

For me, this was the most stirring part of the address.



Again, as my friend Gene reminded me, we must be very careful not to engage in a cult of personality regarding Obama. He hasn't yet done anything (although it's very encouraging that he today gave orders to close Gitmo), and he has to prove himself up to this enormous task. I'm very hopeful at this point though, and actually excited by our government for the first time in a very long time!

Bye bye Bushie!

Well well, what a speech! This man seems to pathologically unable to admit mistakes or even errors in judgment... at least on purpose. There is one passage in his address last night that was unintentionally damning:

"As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our nation. And I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe."

This seems to imply that he didn't receive those briefings before 9/11, because his life didn't return to normal. Of all of the "Bushisms" that abound, this is my favorite.