Obama is ready for leadershipThe Times-Standard
Article Launched: 02/01/2008 01:34:25 AM PST
In many editorials over the past year or so, the Times-Standard has lamented the dearth of leadership on both the national and local levels. There are too many politicians who want to charge their ideological horse into the quicksand rather than engage us in solutions to our many problems.
Is it a generational thing? It may well be. The Clintons and George W. Bush came of age at a time when young people were flexing their political muscles. Marches, sit-ins and shouting were the vehicles of change then, and in many ways still are.
As the Times-Standard Editorial Board debated its way to a decision that Barack Obama was its choice in next Tuesday's Democratic presidential primary, the resounding theme was that he will lead us in a dramatic new direction -- something desperately needed for America.
John Edwards' suspension of his campaign this week made the decision easier. We already had seen that the policy differences between the Illinois senator and the New York senator were more about tactics than agenda. We already had analyzed the “lack of experience” argument and found it hollow. As a community organizer, state legislator and civil rights lawyer, Obama is more than ready.
What it came down to was not just Obama's personal story -- although with a mother from Kansas and a father from Africa, it is an inspiring one -- but that issue of leadership. He brings fresh energy, stirring communication skills, and a willingness to listen to good ideas even across party lines. What he does not bring is old scores to settle.
That mantle of leadership, to us, does not fit well on the shoulders of Hillary Clinton. She and her husband, former President Bill Clinton, are battle-scarred from years of polarizing, partisan fights. That style is not likely to change. Look at the last few weeks: Bill saying Obama's record on the Iraq war is a “fairy tale,” or sneering after Obama's South Carolina victory that another black candidate, Jesse Jackson, also had won there in the '80s.
Hillary Clinton also has shown her insecurity by vilifying Obama for acknowledging that Ronald Reagan was a transformative president. By not backing down from the truth, Obama showed us he is confident enough speak without fear. And her willingness to game every issue -- such as looking to back out of her Florida boycott pledge, or the 11th-hour attack on the Vegas Strip caucuses -- has eroded that very important trust factor. Unfortunately, Hillary Clinton only seems to be able to unite Republicans.
The results of the primary season so far indicate that America has moved away from obsessing about the first woman or first black president, and is looking for someone to follow. Obama has risen to the top for a reason, and he is our Democratic choice for California next Tuesday.
http://www.times-standard.com/opinion/ci_8137202
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
