The Economist on Obama

[rm]

"His immediate effect on international relations could be dramatic: a black president, partly brought up in a Muslim country, would transform America's image. And his youthful optimism could work at home too. After the bitterness of the Bush years, America needs a dose of unity: Mr Obama has a rare ability to deliver it.

And the power of charisma should not be underrated, especially in the context of the American presidency which is, constitutionally, quite a weak office. The best presidents are like magnets below a piece of paper, invisibly aligning iron filings into a new pattern of their making. Anyone can get experts to produce policy papers. The trick is to forge consensus to get those policies enacted."

Comments

[upstart-crow.livejournal.com]

Good call. That's one of the reasons I voted for him. He's really what we need right now.

[beemerbike.livejournal.com]

Those are some of the smartest words I have seen written in a long time about the context of what the president truly is to the United States--more figure than form. All our 'great' presidents have been charismatic, some downright charming like JFK. Even Wilson had a way about him that attracted masses to his way of thinking about the formation of the UN even for all its initial controversy.