Obama and American engagement

An intelligent, educated, pragmatic and engaged American President who gets it? Very hard to imagine, but it is indeed real, and is indeed the most hopeful thing about the past 100 days...

Behold:

1. US, Karzai seek to mend fraying relationship at summit
2. Obama Begins Middle East Focus With Israeli President Meeting ...
3. The Mellow Doctrine

That last thing - "The Mellow Doctrine" by Roger Cohen - really nails it. Excerpt:

Call it the mellow doctrine. Neither idealistic nor classic realpolitik, it involves finding strength through unconventional means: acknowledgment of the limits of American power; frankness about U.S. failings; careful listening; fear reduction; adroit deployment of the wide appeal of brand Barack Hussein Obama; and jujitsu engagement.

Already the mellow doctrine has brought some remarkable shifts, even if more time is needed to see its results.

The Castro brothers in Cuba are squabbling over the meaning of Obama’s overtures. Venezuela’s Hugo Chávez has gone gooey-eyed over the Yanqui president. Turkey relented on a major NATO dispute, persuaded of the importance of Obama’s conciliatory message to Muslims.

From Damascus to Tehran, new debate rages over possible rapprochement with Washington. In Israel, I understand Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is about to drag his Likud party kicking and screaming to acceptance of the idea of a two-state solution because he knows the cost of an early confrontation with Obama.

Not bad for 105 days.

Indeed

Quick thought watching Obama's press conference...

He makes lawyers, and a legal education, amazingly attractive and very much welcome: articulate, informed, detailed, thoughtful, even literate.

Compared to the endless empty BS that an "MBA" (hahahaha) like Bush supposedly is/was, this is amazingly refreshing.

Obama actually knows stuff, and that knowledge is useful! Holy Moly!

Specifically, he illustrates how an actual field of knowledge (law) trumps a fake one (marketing)

Most excellent Obama map, etc....

Check this out: http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/foundationforchange

Very hard to imagine that I actually live in a country with a competent Chief Executive. Takes some getting used to.....

Obama

Quick note:

While I'm critical of President Obama's still-too-little urgency to intervene in the banking crisis, esp in the cases of Citi and BoA, it is an endless relief - and an ongoing pleasure - to finally have an intelligent, articulate, thoughtful, engaged, informed, and charismatic leader to help guide us through this mess.

Obama: The American "voracious consumer market" has ended

Epic.

Here's the Times just now. Pretty mind blowing, and awfully darn encouraging. Seems Obama's come to the G-20 armed to explain how the world needs to be rebalanced:

Obama Plays Down Rift Over Economy on Eve of Summit
By DAVID E. SANGER and MARK LANDLER 3:45 PM ET
The president also cautioned that the U.S. was unlikely to return to its role as a “voracious consumer market” that could anchor the world economy.

This is utterly epic folks, and further evidence that Obama gets it. I rather suspect that Larry Summers had a lot to do with this statement.

Here's more:

In essence, the United States is pressing Europe and other nations to spend more now — when a coordinated stimulus could do the most good. But over the long term, Mr. Obama appeared to be preparing the world for a reshaped global economy in which the United States no longer was the ultimate export market for the world’s established and emerging powers. It was that habit of overconsumption, he appeared to say, that led to the boom-and-bust cycles that he has said must end.

“The United States will do its share,” he said, “but I think that one of the things that Gordon and I spoke about is the fact that in some ways the world has become accustomed to the United States being a voracious consumer market and the engine that drives a lot of economic growth worldwide. And I think that in the wake of this crisis, even as we’re doing stimulus, we have to take into account our own deficits.”

Wow. WOW

Here's a snapshot of once-in-a-century global realignment happening before our eyes, and very much for the better for all involved, imo. Martin Wolf must have smiled whe he heard these words

But we still nedd to nationalize and break up the big banks ASAP, beginning with Citi....

An intelligent and articulate President, at long last

A quick note to say that the single most uplifting set of events last week was President Obama's multiple and deeply impressive public appearances - the press conference, his on-line public forum, his interviews, his announcements.....

All these were further and growing evidence of his enormous and timely gifts as a once-in-a-lifetime leader in this time of crisis.

What a blessed change from the Bush era, to be perfectly blunt. We have, finally, a guy who is deeply thoughtful, incredibly intelligent, and entirely engaged; with the ability to communicate and think in actual sentences and paragraphs, not mere sound bites. One who is comfortable with real ideas and real discourse. One who, despite accusations hurled at him by the Right, is not a blind ideologue (unlike, ahem, the right). A leader who increasingly comes across as a man who knows how deeply serious are the challenges we face.

The man has clear mastery of all of the critical issues, the ability to make them understandable, the courage to tackle them, and the open-mindedness to learn along the way. His message of 'persistence' in particular, is incredibly important, as this crisis will indeed persist, and will require ongoing ongoing effort and multiple course corrections. Only an intelligent and engaged mind will be able to navigate this minefield. We can dispute some of Obama's decisions, but not his mastery of policy options, of political discourse, and of the gravity of the decisions he's making. Mr Bush had none of these qualities, and we blundered endlessly the past 8 years.

If ever we've needed such a gifted leader now is the time. Inspiration is in short supply, and Obama provides it in (careful) abundance.

Consider us very lucky.