Obamaism, the 1st 100 days and taiji

I really think this short article clearly sums up what a president Obama will be in the days ahead. He said :

But he said what makes the country “so special” is that Americans are willing to uphold their own values even when it is difficult to do so.

In that one sentence, he has described what America seems to have lost under the Bush years. Under Bush, America has chosen to trade off precious human lives, Americans and Iraqis with dubious geopolitical gains by going to a ill-conceived and reckless war in Iraq. They have chosen to trade off human rights ideals enshrined in the constitution in favor of torture to extract intelligence from terrorists. They have chosen to trade off intensifying cooperation with the rest of the world with I-don’t-give-a-shit go it alone cowboy attitude. They have chosen to trade off long term sensible economic growth in favor of policies that let laissez-faire, get-rich-quick schemes run amok without supervision so as to spur the virtual prosperity that makes those in power look good. They have chosen to trade off the necessary infrastructure investments to the nation’s health care system with the unhealthy preoccupation on the Iraq war. They have chosen to trade off addressing climate change, which will be the greatest peril to mother earth in this century with short sighted concern about protecting the economy and the oil industry. In short, they have already sold America out and have done more damage than good.

Here, Obama’s approach is refreshingly different. During this time, he has shown that he’s trying to tackle problems at the root instead of just snuffing out fires only to let it reignite again elsewhere. This is what impress me most about him. He’s less inclined to be shy about telling it to our faces what we must do and what we must be for our own sakes instead of dressing it up to please us. He is committed in doing what is necessary to get the nation back on track rather than for political expediency. He is not afraid to be conciliatory to foreign countries not simply because he’s out to please them, but it will help us push for bigger things later. He’s a president with a long term vision. He is firmly rooted and he knows where he’s going.

The conservative forces are clearly missing a point here. Media like Fox News, Republicans, evangelists, fundamentalists are setting themselves up for failure if they are to be taken as blocking Obama’s stewardship instead of complementing it. They are probing for chinks in his armor but what they will probably find is strength and resilience to their attacks. John McCain had a taste of it during the elections. McCain is everywhere but in fact, nowhere. This is what is happening now with the conservatives. They are clearly lost and instead of finding their own root by offering constructive contributions to the nation’s needs for the next decade, they are wasting resources picking on piecemeal issues to attack Obama. This type of hit and run will not work against a skilled opponent like Obama.

Obama is the quintessential taiji exponent who also happen to be well-versed in the fine art of war. He clearly knows where his root is and, at the same time, flexible enough in dealing with opponents who only understand the language of stupid brute force. He is the right kind of 21st century president America needs now to deal with the complex economy, domestic unseen enemies, hit and run terrorists in Pakistan, emerging powers in China and Russia, rogue states like Iran and North Korea. I would dare predict the golden age of revitalization of America in the next decade under his leadership.