More politics (please forgive my wild speculations)
One of the many things I remember from September 11th is a realization that this was most likely the beginnings of the most traumatic event in the US since the Civil War. Yes, I am aware that the Great Depression/WWII were in that span. For reasons of a certain complexity that I would rather not get into at the moment, I believed it would be worse than that. And saying it resembled the Civil War, well that was if we were lucky. We needed a lot going for us to get out of it in one piece. And the most obvious problem was the fact that George W. Bush in no meaningful way bore any resemblance to the attributes of Abraham Lincoln that are worth the admiration they have been receiving for the past 150 some years. I tried to believe for the sake of my own preservation that maybe perhaps that event would turn him into a president of similar stature. I think it is now blatantly obvious to anyone paying attention that never occurred. Most historians are now comparing him to Buchanan, the all time worst president. Gerald Ford picked a good time to die to be remembered as a good president.
A few months ago a friend of mine said that Barack was the black JFK. I think it would be better to call him the black Lincoln. Or better yet, the next Lincoln, or perhaps better still the culmination of everything Lincoln promised. They are both from Illinois, afterall. If this country is going to survive the worst thing since Buchanan, it's going to need the best thing since Lincoln. At the very least. Perhaps 150 years from now the richest Americans will be driving Obama towncars, kids will be playing with Obama logs, and there will be a statue carved from ebony (and somehow protected from the elements) somewhere in Washington D.C. And a speech given on March 18, 2008 will be as historically important as the one given Nov 19, 1863.
Or perhaps 150 years from now kids in China will be studying the ancient civilization of America in their history classes. I know which one I'm hoping for.
A few months ago a friend of mine said that Barack was the black JFK. I think it would be better to call him the black Lincoln. Or better yet, the next Lincoln, or perhaps better still the culmination of everything Lincoln promised. They are both from Illinois, afterall. If this country is going to survive the worst thing since Buchanan, it's going to need the best thing since Lincoln. At the very least. Perhaps 150 years from now the richest Americans will be driving Obama towncars, kids will be playing with Obama logs, and there will be a statue carved from ebony (and somehow protected from the elements) somewhere in Washington D.C. And a speech given on March 18, 2008 will be as historically important as the one given Nov 19, 1863.
Or perhaps 150 years from now kids in China will be studying the ancient civilization of America in their history classes. I know which one I'm hoping for.