1 April 2009

Quote from a colleague: “I have always been proud to be an American but this morning, here in Germany, I am more proud than ever, watching our young, articulate, inspiring President during his first European trip and UK press conference with Gordon Brown. The confident, engaging, intelligent, genuine, and informed way he handled tough press questions was inspiring to all those assembled! Let's hope and pray that his international leadership over the next few days brings the disparate nations together toward viable plans for economic recovery as well as international security.”

Collected from various comments heard and read: The current president is inexperienced, having never had executive responsibilities, and more than a little naïve.  His liberal philosophy is real, complete and continually evidenced.  He is arrogant, ego-centric to a fault and prone to short-sighted self-serving decisions that seem to have little concern for historical precedent or unintended circumstances.

Surely our differences in outlook and opinion are impressive – and understandable from any study of human nature.  Their divisive intensity, however, needs to be a matter of concern.  There really are two Americas whose basic differences are continually manifest and culturally anchored (Albion’s Seed by David Hackett Fischer).

Walter Williams in a recent article made an interesting and insightful comment:

            “I am all too afraid that a historian, a hundred years from now, will footnote America as a historical curiosity where people once enjoyed private property rights and limited government but it all returned to mankind's normal state of affairs — arbitrary abuse and control by the powerful elite.”