maandag 4 januari 2010

Popping the Obama Balloon

After a year in office, the enigmatic president seems less like a messiah and more like the "balloon boy."

January 3, 2010 - by David Solway

The adjectival palette has been much in use this last year or so in the stanchless commentary respecting Barack Obama and his meteoric rise to prominence. He is eulogized by many as America’s bel canto president, supposedly the most eloquent occupant of the Oval Office in living memory. Not only is he mellifluous; he is energetic, determined, and far-seeing. He is young and handsome. He is “smart.” He is a noble advocate of “social justice.” He is “the One.” He is “sort of god.” The fake classical columns flanking Obama during his acceptance speech at Invesco Stadium may have been a mistake but they were not an accident. An acquaintance of mine, in the midst of a discussion concerning the president’s bona fides, clinched the argument by pointing to the sky and exclaiming: “It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s Obamaman.” Obama’s own campaign has not been shy to hype the Superman comparison.

Pajamas Media