Inauguration Day

OK - I read this yesterday (after I put this post up) and I have to say I was just a little upset - enough to actually come to the defense of our 44th President.

Though much of the world will party through the night Tuesday after Obama is sworn in as America's 44th president—just as it did when he was elected—there are signs the ardor is cooling as the sheer weight of his challenges sinks in.

A deepening global recession, new hostilities in the Middle East, complications in closing the Guantanamo Bay prison, Iran, North Korea, Afghanistan—an impatient world has a stake in all of them and is asking how much change Obama can deliver.

"Just two months ago, the future president seemed a cross between Superman and Merlin the magician," Massimo Gramellini wrote in a commentary for Italy's La Stampa newspaper. "Now he himself admits he won't be able to keep all his promises, and who knows? Maybe someone will ask for his impeachment by the end of next week."

I really do hope that Mr. Gramellini is engaging in a little hyperbole, because anyone who could consider impeaching a President for going back on his campaign promises, needs to make sure that they have kept all of their campaign promises first (and I can about guarantee that the answer will be no). Only a complete ideologue (or a complete idiot) would even think that going back on a campaign promise constitutes "high crimes"...

Muslims want to know why Obama hasn't joined the chorus of international criticism of Israel's Gaza offensive. Last week posters of him were set on fire in Tehran to shouts of "Death to Obama!"

The reason for this is that, in many Islamic circles, Barack Obama falls into the "once a Muslim always a Muslim" camp and since his father and adoptive father were both Muslims.....President Obama will have continuing issues from that camp.

Sweden's prime minister, Fredrik Reinfeldt, told parliament last week he empathizes with the monumental challenges facing Obama.

"I think it's difficult to find an American president who is being met with such a number of expectations as Barack Obama," he said.

That's the problem, said Reginald Dale, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington: People everywhere simply expect too much, practically ensuring Obama will disappoint.

While Team Obama does bear a little culpability in setting the expectation bar high, but they are not completely at fault. The media bears (as I said yesterday) bears much of the responsibility there. The problem with the media setting someone so high up on a pedistal is that they love to knock that person OFF the pedistal once they are set up on it!

"The United States can't solve all the world's problems," he said in an interview. "It doesn't have enough money or military power. And the president is constrained by Congress and the constitution. The founding fathers wanted to stop someone from being like a monarch."

And that in a nutshell is it. The world expects us to solve their problems and we are not set up to be the world ruler. Yeah we have had Presidents who thought that we were the "king of the world" (and they are sadly mistaken) but the rest of the world is more than happy to look to us to solve their problems and then when it does not happen they love to be pissed at us for not solving their problems!

And with that here is where I come to the defense of President Obama on his Inauguration Day. Give the man a break. He is just a man - a mere human. He can not solve your problems for you, so quit expecting him to do so. Get up off of your **** and solve your own problems. You are not helpless - there are lots of folks out there who want to help - but we can not do it all for you and neither can President Obama.