Obama Era

Elections are over and I can finally stop ranting about Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld etc. They are soon out of the door and Obama will take over. Feels good.

A US presidential term is a challenge for anybody under normal circumstances and it is doubly so for Obama now. Iraq, Economy, Environment, Health Care, Al-Queda are few of the many problems he faces following a very inept and ideologically driven administration. Adding to that are the raised expectations from his millions of admirers and the intense scrutiny and criticism he will face from all his detractors not just for being a liberal but also as the first African American president.

I just want to wish him good luck and success. Hopefully he will stay true to his ideals and not get side tracked. I truly feel he was the best choice to lead America in these trying times.

Just 2 more days!

I thought I need to put down at least a few words before the much awaited and significant election in the past few decades in America officially draws to a close. Internet gave me a chance to follow it quite closely from India via msnbc, salon, washingtonpost. I could even catch the campaign videos and the funnier bits of SNL and late night comedy. We are indeed a very connected world now.

Well, its all pointing to a Obama victory and hopefully there will be no surprises. It would be a catastrophe if indeed that happens. McCain has shown his true colors during the course of this campaign, changing positions, picking a horribly unqualified VP Sarah Palin, parroting the right wing policies against his own long held beliefs to just win votes. He does not look stable enough to be a president, enough said! Barack is showing the potential to be a very special leader indeed and has set the expectations quite high on his goals. If he does even 25% of those it will be great.
Lets hold hands, pray and hope the American voters do whats required on election night!

Good Luck Obama, Biden!

Obama mania

Just now finished watching the Democratic nomination acceptance speech of Barack Obama. As he has done always, it was delivered to perfection, inspired the crowd and laid out the points very clearly. I cannot imagine how Obama wont be the next president of America. Other than the hard core 20% Bush backers, everybody else can agree unequivocally that the last 8 years has been a disaster with very few positive things to pick from. So, how can anybody vote for McCain/Palin instead of the Obama/Biden ticket which in spite of their assurances will only give four more years of the same type of approach and policies? This is especially true with regards to foreign policy where there is a lot of right winged vested interests in maintaining the status quo.

But for some reason the American people seem to be not sure about this as the polls as of now (end Aug) indicate a virtual tie. How can this be? Is it really because of Obamas inexperience or is the deeply ingrained racial prejudice of playing a part here? It cannot be the policies for sure because what Obama is proposing is far more attractive and energetic than McCains. Results either way is going to cause interesting dynamics in America.

If Obama wins, it will be the first black President with many many challenges. How will he perform will be the main question as the expectations are so high. He will be under a very very large microscope for all of his term, that is for sure.

If Obama loses, America has to face its own racial prejudice. No amount of trying to analyze why McCain won will suffice as the big bear in the room will always be racial intolerance. The only way Obama loses is because of Americans inability to accept a black president.

Its going to be one interesting election year in 2008! and in my opinion very very critical for America's future.