What’s that you smell in the air, America? Breathe it in deep and maybe you’ll remember.
It’s old fashioned leadership.
Barack Obama is only in office for 11 weeks so far and so he’s got lots of time to screw things up. But, you’ve got to give it to the president for his strong start.
Yesterday, he goes to Iraq where he’s cheered by the troops he’s putting a reasonable plan in action to remove from danger. A few days before he got the G-20 to commit to pumping a trillion dollars into the world economy. And over a coffee break, he started working on getting the world rid of nuclear weapons.
Critics say the president is trying to do to much. Perhaps they’ve got some valid concerns, but I think Obama himself answered those best. To paraphrase, the president said you’ve got to aim high and try to do the tough things that need to be done when you’re president. You may not accomplish all your goals but you stand a better chance if you actually aspire to high levels of achievement in the first place.
Wow! That sure is refreshing. After eight years of that other guy, we’re way past due for some real leadership based on intelligence and a larger understanding of the world.
And it may be paying off already for this administration. Recent polls indicate the public solidly backs the president while giving low numbers to the GOP.
More importantly, Obama’s strong start may be benefiting the rest of us too. You’re starting to see web headlines pop up about how people are feeling more confident about the economic future and how maybe things have started to come back a little. It’s early and there’s still a lot of economic pain on the horizon, but my guess is that a big part of recovery is belief.
It seems right now America has found someone to believe in and that is Barack Obama.
