Right Wing Spin Gone Mad
Below is just a clip of his biased opinion and slamming of the Obama campaign for President…
July 25, 2008
Op-Ed Columnist
Playing Innocent Abroad
By DAVID BROOKS
Radical optimism is America’s contribution to the world. The early settlers thought America’s founding would bring God’s kingdom to earth. John Adams thought America would emancipate “the slavish part of mankind all over the earth.” Woodrow Wilson and George W. Bush preached their own gospels of world democracy.
Barack Obama is certainly a true American. In the first major foreign policy speech of his campaign, delivered in Chicago last year, he vowed a comprehensive initiative to “ensure that every child, everywhere, is taught to build and not to destroy.” America, he said, must promote dignity across the world, not just democracy. It must “lead the world in battling immediate evils and promoting the ultimate good.”
In Berlin on Thursday, it was more of the same. Speaking before a vast throng (and a surprising number of Yankees hats), he vowed to help “remake the world.” He offered hope that a history-drenched European continent could “choose its own tomorrow free from the shadows of yesterday.” He envisioned “a new dawn in the Middle East.”
Obama’s tone was serious. But he pulled out his “this is our moment” rhetoric and offered visions of a world transformed. Obama speeches almost always have the same narrative arc. Some problem threatens. The odds are against the forces of righteousness. But then people of good faith unite and walls come tumbling down. Obama used the word “walls” 16 times in the Berlin speech, and in 11 of those cases, he was talking about walls coming down. - New York Times
Mr. Brooks points out that there is in fact two America’s and the haves want to keep the status quo and the have not’s just want a step up. In that step up is the message that Obama is selling far better than the doom and gloom of Senator McCain’s message. One hundred years more of war in the Middle East and nation building in that region. One of the few Republican’s I do respect is Former Secretary of State Collin Powell, and one of his greatest quotes was that of America intent on nation building. Collin Powell was asked about America and nation building and his reply was that America has been in many wars in defense of freedom and the only land we asked for was enough to bury our dead. That quote is out of context but the end message is the same.
Senator Obama gave a speech in Berlin that will be marked in history as the change in not just America’s opinion on mankind but the worlds. There is nothing wrong with speaking of hope and all people coming together to solve many of our worlds problems. We are no longer a nation of one people but a member of the world community. Hate and anger have never solved anything but hope and discussions on issues with realistic goals can. Barack Obama is not telling the world or the American People that he can end global warming, the tragedy that is Darfur, our global energy concerns, or even racism of one people of one religion against the other. What Obama is offering is hope and discussion to change the status quo of us versus them that the Bush Presidency perfected.
This world is messed up and change is needed and in some peoples thoughts, we have been handed in this election the mind of Lincoln on a united people, the thoughts of Teddy Roosevelt on seeing a corporate America amok, the determination of FDR to never give up on the American People, and JFK on human rights not just here in America but all over the world. Like him or hate him, Barack Obama brings the message of hope and that is not far from what many of our greatest Presidents have given us throughout history.
When I kiss my daughters goodnight, I hope and pray that the next day and their future will be brighter than my own. That is the beginning of hope, it isn’t anything new to any parent but it is reality. There is nothing wrong with believing in hope. America needs to be cautious and careful when there is only one political party that is selling fear and doomsday scenarios to sell patriotism. Ask any Veteran if the nightmares they suffer and the thoughts of military action and what they have done to them as a person. War is hell and hell lives in the minds of all of the Veterans coming back from the war in Iraq. We as a people can not fix the Vet’s already damaged but we can end the war in Iraq based on the lies from President Bush. A war John McCain wants to continue. What is wrong with putting a little hope in the minds of our military sons and daughters? The end of this war in Iraq is foremost in most voters and Obama is talking about diplomacy to end it. And he is starting the end of the war with actually talking about diplomacy from America. That is hope, something to pray for and dream of.
What bothers me about this opinion article in the New York Times is that my children’s future was right back to the 1950’s. Fear sells well over on the right wing political ideology. I and my family would rather live in a world of hope and diplomacy where people talk out their differences and come to a resolution. Something that has been lacking for the last eight years of the Bush Presidency. I feel bad for David Brooks, somewhere along the way he lost his way and forgot his roots. I think he forgot what hope is because he just doesn’t get it or live it. Maybe Mr. Brooks parents made sure he lived a better life than they ever dreamed possible. Good for him but that isn’t the reality of the average American family.
Don’t ever give up on hope. In your efforts to make a better life for you and your family there is always hope and results from your hard work and just striving for the American dream are never unpaid. I’m all for hope and Obama is not wrong in selling hope. The alternative is not or should not be acceptable to you as an American.
Papamoka
Labels: Berlin, Bush, David Brooks, Election 2008, Europe, Germany, hope, McCain, McCain 100 Year War, New York Times, Obama, Obama Hope, Obama Message, Political Opinion, White House
2 Comments:
Let me repeat the words of a great prophet: Pray as hard as though everything depended on God, but work as hard as though everything depended on you.
Hope lives eternal in the hearts and minds of most people. However there are some people who are so wrapped up in their own egos, ideologies, and pious beliefs that they are the only ones with a direct line to God and the truth. They could not be further from the truth than that.
We are living in changing times and it is up to each individual to do their part in bringing about constructive change VS all the destructive change we've seen in the past eight-years.
Jan
Very well put Jan.
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