Posted by
Writingresource on Wednesday, June 24, 2009 5:06:56 PM
Mr. Barone is wrong on all counts...
President Barack Obama likes to execute
long-range strategies and his most exciting skill
has been his facility for accomadating new facts
and using them to refine his long and short
term strategies.
As Barack Obama deals with difficult problems
ranging from health care legislation to upheaval
in Iran, we have seen that his skills and
approaches provide more effective leadership
than we have seen in years.
His 2008 campaign was a largely flawless execution of
a smart strategy and he won, regardless of how many
sour grapes the entertainers and pundits want to harvest.
On domestic policy, he has been executing his long-range strategy
of investing in the American people and providing resources to
sustain them as they suffer the consequences of eight years of
irresponsible Republican spending and an ill-advised corporate war.
His long-range strategy of talking to America's
enemies has already been a success. North
Korea's missile launches are par for the course.
The demonstrations in Iran against the mullah
regime's apparent election fraud is proof that
Barack has given hope both at home and abroad.
Obama never assumed anything. This is why his strategy
works. Now that he is seen as a reasonable man, rather
than someone hell-bent on war and destruction, it is much
more difficult for totalitarian regimes to cast us as the enemy.
It is about time we drew a line in the sand.
He not only expressed deep concern about the election,
he said in no uncertain terms that the Iranian regime's abuse
of their people would not stand.
He is the first president since Clinton who does care about
the details of policy. His hands on approach is refreshing.
Once he purges his administration of Robert Gates and
other deadbeats and hangers on... things will proceed
even more expeditiously.
For the first time in nine years we have coherent public policy:
He has moved to provide better access to healthcare,
invest in America, restore civil rights, and give the middle
class and the poor an even break. His efforts to responsibly
provide for the least powerful among us while relieving
business of the burden of providing health care is a win-
win situation.
Obama quickly announced the closing of the prison at
Guantanamo Bay and is engaged in that process.
And it is about time.
His insistance that Israel not expand illegal settlements is
prudent and long overdue. A brilliant beginning.
The government takeover of General Motors and Chrysler
to bail out irresponsible corporate executives was prudent.
We could not afford to put millions of Americans out of
work and a reform of the industry was long overdue.
His plan for instituting universal pre-kindergarten is
supported by scientific evidence and is critical to our
national security. It is about time we began fixing
our failing schools.
He has done nothing to keep the Republicans out of
serious policy negotiations and has allowed
various congressional operators to do what they do.
He will then sign or veto their work.
While promising a politics of mutual respect,
he is intelligent enough to point out the
criminal violations of his predecessor
which got us into so much trouble.
To ignore those mistakes would be folly.
The corporate press generally loves Obama
because he has done little to challenge the corporate
hegemony which continues to waste our resources
at home and abroad.
And the writers, editors, and the general public have
problems with him for the same reason.
Obama entered the presidency with supreme self-confidence.
He was and remains one of the best and brightest of his
generation. His confidence has already worked in our favor.
A temporary transfer of large segments of the American
economy from the private to the public sector, during this
time of economic uncertainty, has historical precedents.
And the moves by the previous administration to privatize
our homeland securty, military defense, and regulatory
agencies has been a disaster. It is about time we
reversed that dangerous trend.
Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is irrelevant. And Kim Jong Il
is predictable. With Obama in the seat of power, we are
in much better shape than before. He is smarter than both
of them. Bush and Ahmadinejad had some things in common,
but intelligence and judgement were not among them.
It's generally good for American presidents to have long-term
strategies. And in setting public policy it is essential to get the
details right. And in guiding the nation in a dangerous world it
remains vital to adjust to face hard realities and unexpected
events. This is what Obama does best. His intelligence,