BBC Have Your Say: Obama's Afghanistan Visit
OK, so I'm thoroughly annoyed with the right-wing bigotry currently flooding the BBC HYS website, so I'm posting everything I post there to my journal as well, in the hope of creating some sort of balanced discussion. I'm also thoroughly pissed off with the way we treat our politicians as if they can do NOTHING right; we like to think that we could do a better job, when, in reality, we'd be curled in a ball in the corner of the room, snivelling pathetically.
BBC Post: Will Obama's Visit To Afghanistan Make A Difference?
It probably won't make a difference in the physical and practical sense, but I believe that moral and belief is just as strong. Obama's visit shows that he is still paying attention to what is going on at ground level, and we forget that this ia war-torn country he is entering; it is a dangerous place to go, and yet he goes. Whether or not it makes a difference it shows that it is still at the forefront of his mind. Call me an idealist that I still believe in the goodness of human nature - but I'm sure it makes me a much happier person.
One thing that strikes me is that leaders such as Obama and Brown are damned if they do and damned if they don't. If they don't visit these countries, then criticism is rained down upon them for not visiting said countries, not paying them enough attention. If they do visit said countries, then they are criticised for milking a bad situation, for using a horrible war to further their own image.
Perhaps it is time for us to sit back and re-evaluate what it is we actually want from our politicians - rather than just using them as a metaphorical punching bag.
Rant over! And now...to the fanfiction mobile!