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Obama Offers Internationalist Vision
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Jim Lobe
IPS
January 21, 2009
Speaking before a record crowd estimated at between two and three million people at his inauguration here Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama promised a foreign policy of “humility and restraint” and “greater cooperation and understanding between nations”.
In his first address as president, Obama also said he will take “bold and swift” action to address the deepening economic crisis designed to roll back the excesses of the market and “lay a new foundation for growth,” and to ensure that, in dealing with terrorist threats, he will seek to protect the rule of law and human rights.
“As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals,” he asserted in an implicit rejection of the policies of his predecessor, George W. Bush, that received the strongest applause of a 15-minute address delivered shortly after he was sworn into office by Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on the balcony of the U.S. Capitol.
“Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generation. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.”
Obama’s swearing-in, which took place at noon in bright sunshine but frigid temperatures, was preceded by 90 minutes of pomp, music and circumstance, as the nation’s governors, congressmen, senators, past presidents and vice presidents all filed in before Bush himself was announced – to scattered booing and then an embarrassing silence, followed by Obama, who drew waves of cheering.
But most impressive was the immense crowd that gathered for the occasion. It stretched from the base of the Capitol Building down the stately National Mall to the Lincoln Memorial some three kms away. The previous record for an inauguration was 1.5 million in 1965 when Lyndon Johnson was sworn in for his first full term.
The celebration was clouded shortly later Tuesday afternoon as news spread that Sen. Edward Kennedy, who was diagnosed with brain tumor last year, reportedly suffered a seizure during a lunch reception held for Obama in the Capitol by the Congressional leadership after the swearing-in.
Obama’s speech, delivered in the same confident oratorical style that has become his trademark since he first emerged into the national spotlight at his keynote speech at the Democratic National Convention in Boston in 2004, was both grim and determined, noting that Washington is not only “at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred,” but also that the U.S. economy is “badly weakened”.
- A d v e r t i s e m e n t
“Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights,” he said, adding that the challenges faced by the country are “serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.”
On the economy, Obama indicated he intended to take strong action on the nation’s transportation and communications infrastructure, health care, and alternative energy sources, notably solar, wind, and biofuels, among other areas. In another swipe at Bush, he promised to “restore science to its rightful place”.
“Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans,” he said. “Their memories are short.”
“What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works…”
“Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill,” he added. “Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favours only the prosperous.”
Surprisingly, Obama devoted more attention to foreign affairs in a series of implicit rebukes to the unilateralist and militarist tendencies of the Bush administration.
After pledging to uphold the rule of law and human rights while maintaining national security, he pledged to “all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.”
“Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions,” he went on. “They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, not does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”
“We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations,” he went on, adding, “We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan.”
“With old friends and former foes, we will tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the spectre of a warming planet,” he said. At the same time, he added, “We will not apologise for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defence, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.”
Obama stressed that the U.S.’s own “patchwork heritage” was a “strength, not a weakness” and that its own long struggle to eliminate slavery and segregation gave it an optimism “that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.”
“To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect,” he declared. Obama’s advisers have said he plans to deliver a major address in the capital of a major Islamic nation within the first 100 days of his term.
“To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds,” he went on. “And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside out borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.”
Obama, the nation’s first president of African descent, alluded only once to his own experience – or, more precisely, his Kenyan father’s – when he noted that core U.S. values of “hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism” explained “why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.”
In the Inaugural’s benediction, civil rights icon Rev. Joseph Lowery also alluded to race when he asked God to “help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.”
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January 21st, 2009 at 8:37 pm
He reads the script perfectly. He’s a good actor, does exactly what he’s told to do. Will he get the oscar.
January 21st, 2009 at 9:21 pm
You got that right, roaddog. He’s only a horse of a different color.
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:25 am
I used to support Obama but now it looks as though he fooled us anti war liberals the way Bush fooled conservatives in 2000. I hope Alex reads this as he is starting to wake some Obama supporters up.
January 22nd, 2009 at 6:02 pm
I don’t trust Obama now and was leery about him in the past. I see little good coming from this man.
January 22nd, 2009 at 10:41 pm
Which countries are up for invasion this year? Iran obviously, syria? venezuela? Lebanon? Russia?
January 23rd, 2009 at 7:54 am
I found this to be a pointless article.
January 23rd, 2009 at 12:59 pm
["Speaking before a record crowd estimated at between two and three million people at his inauguration here Tuesday, U.S. President Barack Obama promised a foreign policy of “humility and restraint” and “greater cooperation and understanding between nations”."]
Now what does this exactly mean? They say they are going to act with humility and restraint, which means that Obama’s policies would not interfere with other nations, that is what you can figure from restraint. But, on the other hand we are talking about “greater cooperation” which would require America to support and extend the WOT if the situation arises. Like say in Israel. Countries surrounding Israel don’t want a war in their neighborhood as it is not favorable for their security. Now if Iran and Lebanon, who are opposed to Gaza occupation, try and stop Israel America is likely to get into occupation of another country, just like they did in Afghanistan.
So I am not sure what does Restraint mean. Is it restraining the people from speaking up or is the new US government use restraint and try and not interfere in another countries business. By the way, how did Israel suddenly get so many resources to fight Gaza and what does this imply for the security of Iran? Got the picture?
transPhat Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 8:32 pm
see this from a real Palestinian
http://www.shoebat.com
January 23rd, 2009 at 8:22 pm
FCUK O”BAAA”MA BIN LADEN & ALL HIS GLOBAL ZIO-NEO-SCUM CRIMINAL CONTROLLERS !!!
WE’RE IN AN EDUCATION WAR FOLKS , TIME TO UNITE & FIGHT 4 WHAT’S RIGHT !!!
INFO-WARRIORS ………………………………………………………….. STEP FORWARD
LET’S RETURN POWER 2 THE PEOPLE, RETURNED BY THE PEOPLE & RETURNED 4 THE PEOPLE !!!
January 24th, 2009 at 1:16 am
WHAT A PUPPET, HE COULD NOT EVEN DO THE INAUGURATION CORRECTLY, AND HAD TO DO IT A SECOND TIME,
I JUST WONDER, WHY DID HE HAVE THAT MEETING WITH JUDGE ROBERTS BEFORE THE INAUGURATION?
THE REHEARSAL WAS A WASTE OF TIME, OR WAS IT SOMETHING ELSE.
January 24th, 2009 at 12:23 pm
What’s happening with all the blacks & other minorities that Obama was going to appoint to high positions???
How the hell can Obama initiate “change” by recycling these proven Zionists, Bilderbergers, CFRs, NeoCons, etc., into his “new” administration???
Moreover, President’s should not have cult-like control over the citizens. Just think of Hitler, for example.
January 24th, 2009 at 11:15 pm
Afghanistan – the graveyard of empires. The NWO in all its might, occupies this nation for 8 years, has dropped bombs on it for just as long – sent patrols to take, retake, and retake again provinces that slip back to “local” control as soon as the imperialists move on to the next province.
In its vain, arrogant pursuit of empire and domination – America and the Anglo-American syndicate vying to control the world will eat itself to death trying to take this dusty worthless land. Like so many before- the blind slave like devotion to power and greed has only one final outcome – self-destruction.
Fight on patriots – we have more in common with the men fighting tyranny in Afghanistan than our leaders would like us to know. They are winning with 30 year old weapons, caves, and radios – we can too if we break our drunken stupor all this luxury has brought upon us – and take back to the rigors of the field. For luxury is not a thing of civilization, but the chains of slavery.
We have the advantage of time, numbers, and technology. We can win before even resorting to the brutal fighting the Afghanis are undertaking now. Begin with self-sufficiency – cut off this government of its army of voters, tax payers, and loyal customers – take down the revenues of their corporate sponsors by devising local alternatives for all the corporate troughs of WalMart have to offer. These people above all other things are parasites – deny them a host and they shall whither and die.
Kohitur Reply:
January 27th, 2009 at 5:26 pm
b ———- Well said. It is also said when God wants to punish somebody He directs them to Afghanistan, where they are humiliated by insignificant and simple freedom loving people. Afghanistan is not worthless dusty Land. There is no dust since its all hard rock and it is very rich in minerals. Due to its structure and make the mountains of Afghanistan are non-penetrable as far as modern warfare is concerned. The only way war can be won is to increase boots on the ground by millions who can fight face to face and are not afraid to die. Sadly the so called western civilized countries lack such dimensions. They rather bomb the country to dust. This strategy while effective in some other places is not applicable in Afghanistan and its chain of cave systems.
People have to do nothing, just relax, these warmongers are at war with the Creator. Just as in the past Creator has destroyed many Nations that became brutal and arrogant, this time too is no different, and know this, as prophesied, ‘Bani Afsar’, will be neutralized by the Creator Himself.
January 25th, 2009 at 6:23 pm
Obunga Obanga is going to do just what he’s told to do, or he’ll get a C.I.A. bullet in his head, just like J.F.K.
The Illuminati and there lackeys will keep running their scams until the end. It’s hard to say what will be in a few years, but it’s sure going to be interesting!
God Save America!
January 26th, 2009 at 10:31 am
“# Seon Says:
January 22nd, 2009 at 3:25 am
I used to support Obama but now it looks as though he fooled us anti war liberals the way Bush fooled conservatives in 2000. I hope Alex reads this as he is starting to wake some Obama supporters up.”
FAKE, AND PLANTED
January 26th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
I for one, hate politics, The way I see things . . . from a former soldiers prospective, is this; When a government cant rule through economics, diplomacy or crooked politics they look for a way to get the troops in the country for a hostile take over. Then spend trillions of taxpayer dollars to rebuild and instate what they screwed up in the first place.
As for the past administration (Republican), I see the good being called evil. And the current administration (Democrats) will receive to their credit the good that was done. The current administration (Democrat) will accomplish much evil within our own boarders, by attempting a smoke screen and drawing your interest (constantly) to Afghanistan. By the time this current administration get booted out of office, through scandal after scandal the next Republican administration in office will be blamed for the mess this administration (Democrats) concocted.
Far as I can see, a lot of Democrats (MINORITYS) are turning their coat inside out, to appear, as they didn’t know this whited wall. After all don’t they recruit the simple and stupid, those who don’t understand the reason behind why they do things . . . making them believe it’s all about the people who are so called deprived.
You should always do your home work, then and only then, make your mark, could be the last one you make in life . . . and believe it or not, those of you who voted for this administration have a very bad mark on you record at judgment day . . . The selling out of God isn’t any good under any circumstances.
January 26th, 2009 at 3:23 pm
Apparently still under bondage after all these years, weak and beggarly, just like the bible said too.
Blessed be the God of Shem
Ham shall be a servant of servants he shall be
Ands Japheth I shall enlarge
And its all true, all the way down to the slavery, even to this day