"Now he must declare that the war on terror is over"

[bronnyelsp]

If the most important single thing that Obama should do quickly is to announce the immediate closure of Guantánamo Bay, the corollary has to be a declaration that the war on terror is over. Accept that terrorism is a technique. It is not an ideology. The west faces no global enemy, no worldwide Islamofascist conspiracy. Foreign crises should be

Comments

[lukalew]

Wow. Beautifully stated. Especially this part

[eyelid]

I think half of America has felt this way too. Every time I see a new article about Obama's administration, possible supreme court picks, etc... my heart skips a beat.

[bronnyelsp]

(This is also why we Do Not Talk About the American Indian genocide, or the continuing conditions of their reservations.)

Canada is no better in this regard, admittedly. We like to see ourselves as... well, like this. Ugly parts of our history -- suppression of French culture, our own genocide of First Nations people, besides abducting their children to abuse and cultural denial in residential schools and the poor conditions in which most Canadian aboriginal people also still live, the anti-semitism that was rife through at least the first half of the twentieth century, and modern-day failures such as our botched peacekeeping effort in Somalia, get little mention.

[voxsjournal]

But I have faith that steadily, as the next four years progress, the evil work of the Bush administration will be gradually undone, bit by bit, piece by careful piece.

Honestly? I think it's the same as what a lot of people (including me, back in the day) felt about Bill Clinton. People forget that we'd just gone through 12 long years of Reagan/Bush. Clinton "kept hope alive." It was all about hope. And change. It was all about change. Heck, Bill Clinton even promised, in 1992, to end the tax breaks for corporations that move jobs overseas. Sixteen years later, Obama is making the same promise. I just don't believe them anymore. I'd love to see it happen, but I won't believe it until the bill is signed

[bronnyelsp]

As I say, I was critical for the last few of years of the Clinton administration too (before that I was a bit too young to say more than, "Duh, Canada's better than America!" -- I was 20 when Bush was first elected). No, I don't agree with American foreign policy meddling in other nations' affairs, and I speak with authority as a Canadian. Anything we do that's to the left of the States, if it's new or in any way controversial, we literally get scolded like schoolchildren by Big Brother Sam. How DARE you trade with Cuba? How DARE you decriminalise marijuana in select circumstances? How DARE you set up a safe injection site in Vancouver's downtown eastside? How DARE you not go to war in Iraq with us? This will all have serious trade ramifications, you know. Bad, bad America Junior. Stop rebelling