Original Article: Holding Obama’s Feet to the Fire on www.redpepper.org.uk

Doug Henwood’s analysis is fairly respectful but you have to admit that his is a viewpoint of the far left - and that would leave out the other three quarter of America. While we may be seeing a shift in the dominant American political ideology from Center Right to Center Left, it isn’t as progressive as that of most of the European countries just as yet. So yes, appointing a bunch of oldies wouldn’t help his cause of a fresh start but if we believed ‘all’ of what Obama said in his rallies to come to reality, we are either too innocent or flat out stupid. Rally speeches and political promises are always delivered to energize the base and rouse the emotions and can hardly ever be implemented in letter and spirit.

I think Gary Younge makes a very good point there. If we tell the Left folks that all they believed in was a big fat lie and that they should give up on Obama already then we are pushing them into a disarray. So let’s not do that. Let’s be critical - not cynical.  Let’s give Obama time. The times are too serious for a totally ‘fresh start.’ He needs people with experience even if they come with a set of pre-conceived notions and may hurt the cause for a true ‘change’. I think it’s still too early to call.

As Obama delivered his victory speech in Chicago, the people around the world showed a sense of global connectedness that I have never witnessed before. Thousands gathered in Japan, China, Germany and England to celebrate Obama’s historic victory. The President of Kenya declared a national holiday on Thursday. Folks in Indonesia came out on the streets to share their joy for their one-time foreign resident. Though Obama hasn’t shown his support for Pakistan, still many in Pakistan felt a strong sense of joy for the election of a man who has inspired so many in the last two years. A bus passenger in London was quoted by a CNN reporter as saying, ‘this is the coming of a Messiah.’ I don’t remember witnessing even a remotely similar response to the last three US Presidential results. Perhaps, this global reaction had much to do with the staunch rejection of the Bush policies. But I believe this is more than just that. Those who have had the chance to follow this election race recognize appreciate the character and courage of Barack Obama. His relentless belief in the power of hope and optimism has resonated across the globe. Will he rise to the challenge of leading the world to make better choices for a cleaner planet? Will he eliminate the rising divide between the West and the Muslim world? Could he serve as the beacon of light that would brighten these dark times? Will Obama prove to be a global President?

At 11 pm ET, US, 4th November, 2008, Barak Hussein Obama was declared the 44th President elect of the United States. Most of us would have never thought we would witness this moment in our lifetime. Though rooting for this man since the first time I heard him back in October last year, the closer it got to the election day the more weary I became. It just seemed a bit too early for a black man to take the highest office in the United States. And with Obama’s win, the glass ceiling has been shattered. The barrier is no more. The dream has come true. Today, Dr King’s words resonated in so many ears. Today, America has shown to the world its ability to present opportunities to people regardless of the color of their skin. Today, American has true displayed that she is the leader of the democratic world.