Obama! Obama!

What strikes me most about President Obama is his inherent honesty. At the inauguration ceremony yesterday (Jan 20), the parts of his address I liked were the parts where he said it as it is.

“Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices..."

"..the time has come to set aside childish things. "

"We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people."

“Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.”

"...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 favors only the prosperous."

"..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."


Even the little fumble (with the words) during the oath only just underlined the honesty. It seemed like he was nervous. It doesn't make for a great TV moment, but I thought it was as honest as everything else about the man. He comes across as one who is not here just to be the President of America, but who has a lot of things to do. Hopefully, he'll get them all done with sincerity.

Of course, I also must have my say on the First Lady's dress. :) The fashion jury went out on it almost as soon as the inauguration concluded. Mixed verdict there. But I think it was just the right mix of bold and conservative. It was appropriate for the occasion while simultaneously making an I-am-no-pushover statement with the color and style. And, no, I didn’t think it was “inaugural upholstery”!

Pic Credit: The picture above is from here.

Comments

Suti said…
I would not subscribe to the projection bias that people are suffering from (i.e. extending their expectations to the work he might do in office based on his speeches and demeanour) but definitely he is one helluva smart guy - not just his looks but also the way he talks exudes a lot of confidence and I am impressed. But I dont want to extend that to what he might do in office (nor do I put expectations around his speech since thats the synthesis of his brand manager and speechwriter)and sometimes its the underdog like Sheila Dixit or Narasimha Rao (no one can forget how he turned around a nation that had mortgaged its gold with the Bank of England) who do great in office and not flamboyant folks like Kennedy.
Let's wait and watch. Let's see if he can capitalise on the massive mandate he has got. Let's see if he can get back US her moral high ground. I'm sure it'll take another 50 years at least. But 4 years can make helluva lot of difference. Let's begin by cutting down on American greed.
Unknown said…
Hey he did not fumble on his oath- the chief justice - John Roberts fumbled, went too fast as it was his first president oath giving ceremony - according to CNN. Prez Obama actually waited for him to say it right! :-)
And yeah - he is honest and i hope that he changes the bad taste that the word "politics" has left in our mouths. May be honesty and integrity can be the content of character after all! Hope that does not get compromised soon. And yeah Michelle Obama is the real winner.
She is the successful woman behind an ambitious man!!
Mumukshu said…
Two skeptics and a fan. :)
@Suti, I think we all are gonna wait and watch. I am just a bit more hopeful than usual that he'll do right in office.
@Babs, I like that - 'lets begin by cutting down american greed'
@Shaini, If you insist, he didnt fumble. :) I thought it was nice, anyway.
Anonymous said…
i came to your blog after a loong time.. you can find obama's action on his country ...http://www.recovery.gov/


mumukshu,, keep blogging.. readers are egerly waiting for posts... it's such good blog..:-)

Popular posts from this blog

The Telangana Effect - To create a new state, go on a fast

Sure, I bribe. But no cash. Do you take card?

How to Win a Customer, How to Lose a Customer