I feel like I woke up today to find that it's April Fool's Day instead of Friday, October 9 -- my reaction to our President winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Listen, I'm a pretty big President Obama fan. I'm a fan even though I disagree with some of his policy decisions (like the healthcare "public option") intensely. I believe in our President because he inspires hope -- the same reason, apparently, for the Nobel committee's decision to award him the Nobel Peace Prize. Yet I've been waiting... and waiting... and waiting... for President Obama to start walking he walk instead of just talking the talk.
In my opinion, President Obama is going the route of former President Bill Clinton, who vowed that his first action as President would be to let Haitian refugees into our country. They were never welcomed. Likewise, President Obama vowed to do a few things, too -- things like closing Guantanamo, and it appears that his January 2010 deadline for that will be missed by a mile. He vowed to end these wars as soon as possible; is there an end in sight? (Frankly, I'd defer that decision to the "real" military leaders.) He promised universal healthcare but is so entrenched within his Democratic party that he can't lead when it comes to compromise. I have a problem with that. My fanhood is slipping a bit.
And now, like kids who play non-competitive soccer yet garner an award annually, he has a trophy on his shelf that's awarded more for effort than for action. I have a problem with that, too. Inspiration is one thing; action is another. Rhetoric doesn't mean anything to the poor still waiting for health insurance or to those waiting for their loved one to return from a war in Iraq whose purpose we seem to have forgotten (that is, if we ever knew it).
I wring my hands over this one. I read and listened to President Obama's acceptance remarks; his eloquence, as always, was impressive. He is a rhetorician through-and-through and, at some point, should certainly get an award for that. In the speech, I heard a "call to action." I heard "America will continue to lead." And, most notably, I heard President Obama say that the Nobel Peace Prize is not just for action, that it's also to "give momentum to a set of causes."
Well, Mr. President, that's my question for you: we know your causes, and, so far, your actions on them have been weak. What do you plan to do now that the eyes of the world are laser-focused on you? Push for public-option healthcare again even though it will fail every time, or work on a compromise that is bipartisan? Bring about a sensible end to a war or two? Right an economy in which nearly half of all Americans don't pay income tax -- or perhaps you'll address that inequality? Speaking of equality, how about according my gay friends the same civil rights that you and I enjoy?
I want to see some momentum yesterday. Because as far as I can tell, it's politics as usual in Washington, D.C. And that's not why I helped elect you, Mr. President. You don't deserve a prize for hope without action, for that's an empty promise. You won't get elected again on hope absent change. So please, do something.
Recent Comments