Picked the Winner

I'm rather proud of myself for having picked the winner of the US Presidential election 9 months ago! Last February, I backed Barack for the presidency on the back of his educational standing, world view, eloquence, and refreshing approach to policy as a Washington outsider. I held to this view throughout the campaign and stand vindicated. Indeed, my reading of his fascinating autobiography, Dreams from My Father, served to confirm his standing in my view.

In anticipation of his victory, I wore my Obama 08 T-shirt to work today, and around town this afternoon. It was an eerie trip through the shopping centre as people approached me with thumbs up, slaps on the back, a hi-five, and encouraging remarks!! These came after about 3 pm as the results became known. In fact, I felt a little like Obama himself. I also found his acceptance speech in Chicago a marvellous piece of oratory and suspect that he could be in the same league as Lincoln. Hopefully, he will not end up as Lincoln as some fanatic decides to terminate his life prematurely! And that reminds me that I had the privilege of a private audience with Martin Luther King 6 months before his assassination. Seriously, I met with him and one other student for 40 minutes alone in room over 40 years ago and we discussed the US civil rights movement and its tactics and strategy.

King and Lincoln are two of my heroes and I'd hate it if Barack ends up the same way. Everyone has interpreted his win as heralding a seismic shift in US foreign and domestic policy, a view that will surely be correct if his presidency realises full potential. The remarks stem from my deep understanding of US politics, economy and society shaped over the last 50 years through the study of at least 12 presidential elections, numerous visits to North America, and dozens of friends and acquaintances. Indeed, I've visited the US five times in the last four years or so!

AS