[DeBushification] Obama… One of Us?

There’s a lot of cynicism out there about the man, Obama. It’s not entirely unjustified either, our American friends did not get to experience the enthusiasm and promise of a young Tony Blair becoming Prime Minister and ushering in a new wave of ‘Cool Britannia’. That was before the Millennium Dome, the spin-meisters, Iraq, David Kelly, Jean Charles DeMenezes, the surveillence state, banning of protest… and don’t forget all along Gordon Brown riding on top of a spectacular bubble as though he had brought a new era of wealth – ignoring all the warnings by people more intelligent than he.

So yeah, I understand the cynicism about Obama. However I can’t help but be won over by the actions of his first few days in office. Most of us were expecting the usual settling in period, the careful introduction of new policy and slow pushing out of the old… not so for Obama, why it’s almost like one of us got into the White House and set about putting immediately putting right what has gone so horribly wrong.

And like one of us, he’s bound to piss people off, get things wrong and misunderstand the old, establised process.

Still, in just 4 days he has ordered a stop to torture, rendition flights and secret jails, put a stop on staff payrises, taken away as much power as possible from lobbyists, set the closure of guantanamo bay in motion, embraced creative commons, honoured freedom of information, promised to put Israeal/Palastine on the agenda (which I see as a snub to our ponzi Middle-East Envoy), and now reversed one of Bushes executive orders to keep former President records private.

I don’t remember any such dramatic reversal or regime change in history apart from war and revolution.

Although I don’t agree with Obama’s policy towards the global recession and bailing out financial terrorists institutions, I have faith that this is not the same old tribal politics we are going to see. It is plainly obvious that Obama has character and he is not going to do things the same way. I don’t think America will be the same either.

I just hope he doesn’t screw up. I’ve seen so many great and inspiring people personally screw up… enough to make you renounce your faith. When I hear people gush about Obama, all I can think is “He’s not the Messiah, he’s a very naughty boy.”

So, if you’re still a die-hard cynic, at least take consolation in the fact that even if he’s not championing your own personal cause, he’s making steps in the right direction. Much like William Wilberforce took on the huge political task of overhauling Britains slave industry.