Obama is asking us to believe in change, and I for one do. What is it about this man that makes us want to follow him? He is charismatic beyond words; he is hopeful, pregressive, intelligent, peaceful, inspiring and down to earth. He stands for something we sorely need in our declining country, change. On his website he has a quote, "I'm asking you to believe. Not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you tobelieve in yours." And it seems that America is ready to believe.
Six months ago I glanced at the political
campaign sign of this little known candidate on the corner of my
street and thought he was running for the local school committee. A
few weeks later I learned that the man is a doctor and military
surgeon. He is 72 years old and a ten term Republican congressman
from Texas running for President of the United States in the 2008
election.
What happened in Iowa last Thursday gave
us a little idea of what the United States is willing to do for the
next presidential elections. Though the selection process consists
of a long way; Obama's victory in the caucus with some 38% of the
vote marks a turning point in the US political history.
Is anyone surprised at the results of the
Iowa caucus? The two winners - Democrat Barack Obama and Republican
Mike Huckabee - offered a platform that was clearly different from
the other contenders. The voters took note. It is no longer
"politics as usual" in this 2008 presidential election. There is
now no doubt that the American people want a real change.
His Presidential campaign was left for dead by almost everyone in the late summer of 2007. Many of his senior advisors had quit his campaign or had been fired. In just six months, his campaign had run through its sizable financial war chest ($25 million) and was broke. However, these sad occurrences were not even his worst problem.
As hundreds of thousands attended the funeral of Benazir Bhutto at her family's mausoleum Friday, Pakistanis blamed President Musharaf for not providing sufficient protection, al-Qaida and the Taliban for the assassination, and warned that Nawaz Sharif another key opposition leader is next in line for assassination under threat of militant attack.
Pondering on these tragic and sudden events, as one who has been to Pakistan and has close friends there, I give you my heartfelt thoughts and foreign policy perspective.
January is the month whose name indicates
reflection and planning. The first calendar month is named after
the two-faced Roman god Janus. It is a month when we look back at
the past year and forward to the year to come. It is a time when
more than 70 percent of us make New Year's resolutions. We
remember what worked or didn't work for us in the past. We take
stock of ourselves and assess our need for change in the new year.
We remember past relationships and we assess potential new ones. We
contemplate our future course. We either like the path we are on or
decide a fresh new path is our best answer.
Everyone loves to reminisce about the
"good old days:" the movies and shows we watched, the things we
did. We tell the younger generations about our all-time favorite TV
shows and films and scoff when they don't have a clue what we're
talking about. Wouldn't it be nice if you could play them a few
episodes of that old-time show or cherished movie? Now, with Rare
TV, you have the chance to!
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