[lbo-talk] Obama and His Discontents

James Heartfield Heartfield at blueyonder.co.uk
Fri Jul 29 04:36:00 PDT 2011


Maybe it’s hard to see from over here, but notwithstanding the hype around Obamania, and taking into account the low attainment levels of contemporary political leaders, Obama does seem to stand out.

Perhaps it is to do with your expectations. I never thought that he was left-wing, or even radical, but it seems to me that, in the context of these anti-political times, he was a leader of some gravitas, and if he didn’t end the war in Afghanistan, he did in Iraq.

Would there have been an Arab spring if Obama had not taken America’s foot off of their necks, and let Egyptians and Tunisians address their needs outside of the hackneyed framework of anti-imperialism? I am not so sure.



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