Camelot II?

A couple from Hollywood casting -- Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
Barack and Michelle Obama are the new "it" couple. They're attractive and they've been likened to John and Jackie Kennedy in their "Camelot" phase. We are tantalized by the possibility of this handsome couple hosting state dinners and greeting dignitaries. The packaging couldn't be smoother if it came from Madison Avenue. They have the looks and style of Denzel Washington and Halle Barry. They have catchy new age slogans about "change" and "unity".

If the Obamas were served to us as first couple, would we still be as love-struck? What kind of presidency would it be? Some of this allure smacks of a high school popularity contest where voters take their cues from things that are way more superficial than substantive. For high school student council, not much more is at stake than new band uniforms or ecology day to pick up trash. For the Presidency of the United States, I myself have a strong preference for gravitas over glamour.

The past serves as a predictor for the future. Obama has possibly the most liberal voting record in the Senate. He has past associations with some sketchy people -- a Weatherman radical, a "liberation" minister and a crooked housing contractor. Who would Obama select for his cabinet, for Secretaries of Treasury and State? Who would be his Supreme Court nominees? The court is aging and he may get to pick two or three. Both Obama and his wife have said things that smack of victimhood and impotent passivity -- "At last I'm glad to be an American.... the rules keep getting changed on us ...” In general, people are certainly entitled to their points of view. But for President wouldn't you prefer someone with more positivity? What policy implications are there for that frame of mind?

I can't help but think we'd have ourselves a passel of problems. George W. Bush created a huge mess, and we need a serious, centered and knowledgeable person to pick up all the pieces. We don't need a new incarnation of Bush to create newer messes. There is the possibility that another inexperienced boob (and Bush is certainly one example) could actually compound and confound what's already wrong. In closing I can only say, "Be careful what you ask for". You might be getting it this November.

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