Pakistan ushers in new political era with caution

Vivian Salama

LAHORE – There is little fanfare amongst many Pakistanis this week as they watch America prepare to usher in a new era of professed hope and change. 

On Lahore’s main platform for political expression, known here as the Mall, dozens of banners were erected this week reading “America and Israel: dogs of hell.” Protestors marched through Pakistan’s cultural capital yesterday calling on Barack Obama to put an end to policies that stifle the Muslim world.

“Israelis are killing us in Gaza, and Americans killing us in Iraq and Afghanistan and Indians are killing us in Kashmir so we have the right to explain our part,” shouted Fayez Khuraz, an Islamic preacher who joined hundreds of others in protest.  “If Barack Obama is an human being, he will bring an end to these policies that make the Muslim people suffer.”

Many in Pakistan say there is great cause for concern as the Washington transition period nears its end.  Since the early days of the US election campaign, the now-President Barack Obama said that he would not sit quietly and allow Pakistan to serve as a sanctuary for Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants fleeing US forces in Afghanistan. 

Since August 2008, the tribal border between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been the target of repeated air strikes as US forces look to weed out radical Islamists from the lawless mountain region. Pakistani officials have insisted that the attacks are not only unwarranted, but can compromise its domestic security. 

“I think [the Americans] in Afghanistan have made the situation worse for Pakistan,” said Rasul Bakhsh Rais, head of the Department of Social Sciences at the Lahore University of Management and Economic Research.

In recent weeks, one of Pakistan’s most scenic tourist cities, the Swat Valley in the Eastern region, has been the scene of a deadly Taliban take over.  Last week, Taliban insurgents forced the closure of all girls’ schools in Swat, forcing at least 50,000 young girls to stay home.  Pakistan’s military has staged an attack on the militants, causing many civilians casualties and a heightened state of alert across the country.

Many US officials maintain that Pakistan’s Inter-services Intelligence (ISI) continues to aid Taliban forces in Afghanistan and the US must therefore have more direct involvement in the fight against extremism on both sides of the border.  However, analysts in Pakistan believe that no one can deal with Pakistan’s militancy problems better than Pakistan.

“We have that capability we can handle the situation on the borders but when you continue pushing these militants inland, it harms our country,” added Rais. “Pakistan’s future security is very much linked to the war in Afghanistan and the larger issue of peace and stability in the region, so we think Obama will be a better president if he rethinks the two wars and pulls troops out.”

Pakistanis are equally concerned that lawmakers chosen to be part of Barack Obama’s administration have closer ties with India and may, as a result, fail at brokering any neutral diplomacy.  Relations between the formerly-united South Asian nations have been particularly icy in recent weeks after assailants in the deadly siege on Mumbai last November were suspected of having links to Pakistan.

Earlier this month, India’s foreign secretary, Shiv Shankar Menon, said that investigators had found evidence that ties the gunmen who carried out the attacks to “elements in Pakistan” and added that Islamabad was obliged to extradite those responsible.    Washington has urged Islamabad for full cooperation.

“There are two powers that run Pakistan – the army and America, so whatever happens in America affects Pakistan indirectly,” explained Danish Altaf Mufti, a student at the Lahore School of Economics.  “America would definitely want good relations with India but it should try to keep it in check if it wants balance of power in the region.”

Beyond tensions on the country’s Eastern and Western borders, many Pakistanis say they are eager to see a general upheaval of American foreign policy as it relates to the Muslim world.  From Karachi to Rawalpindi, Pakistanis have been voicing their distress over the violence unfolding in Gaza and calling upon the West to take drastic measures to bring an end to the fighting.

“A very important thing is how he handles the Palestine conflict because every Muslim has been hurt by this,” said Mufti. “I know it is transition phase and he has to be careful with his words, but if he is afraid of the Israel lobby then we will not see the real change that people are talking about.”

Open Letter to President-Elect Obama from the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance

This is an interesting letter from the Political Council for the Iraqi Resistance, an Iraqi insurgent “political” coalition comprising of six major Sunni militant groups.  

It has been interesting to track the various online responses by militant groups to the elections and it is something I will be looking at quite closely in the coming weeks. 

—–

An Open Letter: To Barak Obama the new president of the United States of America 

We should put in front of you some points for the new American administration to benefit from and to use to avoid the mistakes that the old administration fell into: 

I- The reason why you won the presidency is not because the Americans suddenly found out that they should not be racist, it is because of the many mistakes that the Bush administration fell under which didn’t leave for the American citizen any room, not even for a second to think about keeping that administration and the least proof for this is the large numbers of votes against them. 

II- Your campaign promises were built on change and the time for it has come, and we say with that the time has come- the destruction that the previous administration caused for our country from killings, displacement, civil war and racism- has damaged your reputation as American people and it damaged elements of a nation that did not attack you by your own recognition and therefore we ask for change and do not listen to those who tell you that a withdrawal from Iraq is a defeat. We say to you that a withdrawal will mean a triumph of reason and logic. 

III- The vast number of people who have voted for you means that you can take your actions with courage. The disarray of those before you hurt the American people before anyone else, Allah swt has told us in his righteous book that he created man to get to know each other not for one to kill the other O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that ye may know each other (not that ye may despise (each other). Verily the most honoured of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you. And Allah has full knowledge and is well acquainted (with all things). 

IV- We are a country known for its courage and generosity and our good treatment to strangers. Whoever is good to us we are good to him more than he is good to us, and whoever attacks us he will find from us no mercy, so what do you think we will do to an invader who tampered with our religion and our country, its destiny, security and unity? 

V- To surround our countries security by making agreements with others around us to accomplish your interests and their interests at the expense of the interests of our people will have serious consequences. It is up to you not to try this and not to solve your problems with others at our expense and you should understand this. 

VI- We will be flexible in dealing with your withdrawal but it must not be as part of a security deal with parties that are traitors or a made up government. You must correct your mistakes and work with courage to pay compensation to all those who you have destroyed, their families or their house or their psychology. And you must release all those you have as prisoners until the last Iraqi of them, and you must order the sectarian government to release all its prisoners and to return the balance of security to Iraq. Without this we will not think that you will be coming with the change that you have promised, and if you do this you will be written down in history as the courageous one. 

And finally we in the resistance are staying on our promise to liberate our country and we will not tear from this, the history of our grandparents is the best witness and we will be the best next of kin to that kin in protecting the sanctity of our nation

– PCIR

…And Now, Time to Fix the Domestic Economy

by Vivian Salama

PostGlobal – WashingtonPost.com

 

The last sip of celebratory champagne is now gone, and so, without a moment’s delay, it is imperative for President-elect Barack Obama to assemble a strong strategic transitional team that can work to heal the wounds of a disillusioned America. A carefully selected team must coordinate with the Bush administration in ensuring a smooth and effective handover. Traditionally the President-elect has stayed out of the spotlight in the two-and-a-half months prior to his inauguration. However, in the words of Senator Hillary Clinton, never have we had as “lame duck” a president as George W. Bush.

President-elect Obama was the clear choice for triggering the shockwave needed at a time when America has few friends abroad and domestic confidence in government is at an all-time low. While people around the world continue to celebrate the clear and momentous significance the victory of Barack Obama signifies in our world’s history, we mustn’t forget that there is a crisis at hand that catchy slogans and smooth-talking rhetoric can not and will not solve. His administration should act quickly in order to capitalize on the momentum of this historic victory.

Where I sit in Dubai, the excitement surrounding a Barack Obama victory is palpable — and the same holds true for the entire region. This election meant so much to so many people around the world for several reasons. People in much of the Middle East have lived the last eight years fearful that one wrong word could bring American warplanes calling.

However, confident markets like Dubai’s and bullish markets like that of Egypt found themselves in a nosedive with news that Wall Street was losing steam. Repairing America’s reputation globally must start with an immediate — and non-partisan — fix to the domestic economy. A distracted and bitterly divided Washington ignored several issues surrounding Congress’s $700 billion bailout package. Financial institutions receiving government support are suspected, in some cases, of having used the capital for other purposes. If the government is going to alter its role by nationalizing banks, then those banks should be susceptible to a stringent checks and balances system. President-elect Obama has not a moment to spare if he and his administration, wish to avoid catastrophe and earn the trust and respect of Americans, their colleagues in Washington, and citizens of the world.

He must also consider certain long-overdue ways of trimming costs, such as closing Guantanamo Bay and cutbacks of any and all unnecessary expenditures in Iraq and Afghanistan (so long as they do not compromise the security of American troops or the inhabitants of both countries).

The elections are over — now it is time to get to work.

It may sound cliché to link this historic event to the American dream — but then, many called the candidacy of the junior senator from Illinois just that; a dream and nothing more. As an American-born child of immigrants, I have seen marginalization, and I have felt cynical that the country to which my parents have given so much would not give back in the same way. The last eight years have been tainted by disappointment, fear and disenfranchisement. It is time for change in the most radical of ways. Many believe that if Obama can win the presidency, then anything is possible. Barack Obama has captured the support and admiration of millions around the world. The hard part now is deciding how to maintain it. The road to financial recovery is one that is long and grueling. However, if he can pave it smoothly and quickly, I reckon that people around the world will readily follow. 

Obama Wins the Race for President

It is early in Dubai as I sit here watching celebrations around the world with the announcement of Barack Obama’s victory.  Regardless of their political views, I hope people recognize the significance of this win.  My generation and those that follow have every reason to believe that America is as much theirs as anybody else’s, and never as much as today.  In an America where a black man can be elected into office just half a century after some of the most horrendous acts of discrimination and hate took place, anyone can achieve anything with hope and commitment.  I have spent most of the last 5 years living in the Middle East and have all too often had to explain myself for America’s faults.  For the first time n a long time, I am feeling a lot of pride.  Anything is possible.

WOW.

Added on 11/5/08:

I heard this on the radio this morning and thought it was really lovely:

“Rosa sat so Martin could walk… 

Martin walked, so Obama could run… 

Obama is running so our children can fly!”

Wake Up, America!

I was reading a really interesting op-ed by Frank Rich in the New York Times today called the McCain and Palin Shotgun Wedding.  In it, he discusses McCain’s tendency to advocate party reforms but his failure to actually lead them.  He also legitimately questions the identity of Sarah Palin who appeared out of thin air some two weeks ago becoming an overnight sensation despite having proved herself far less than Obama, a point of major contention amongst the Republicans.  Given that McCain is edging slightly ahead in the polls (to my shock and dismay), and given that he is 72 years old and has a history of illnesses, there is a fair chance that this mystery woman could become president…. How can America let this happen?  She’s set on drilling everything in sight (including her own home state); she believes that the government — and not the individual — should decide on the fate of American pregnancies; and she and her party do not support universal health care — something every democracy but America supports.  I won’t even begin to discuss the audacity of the Republican views on gun control (or lack there of).  WAKE UP AMERICA!!!! The country is in a major crisis!!!  The economy is tanking and our troops are dying…. we MUST make a change before it is too late!!!!  

Frank Rich’s column references some inaccurate references about Obama made by McCain during his RNC speech last week.  I think they are important and thought I’d post them below.  I hope you will all share your thoughts on the elections in the coming weeks!

 

FactChecking McCain

September 5, 2008

He made some flubs in accepting the nomination.

Summary

We checked the accuracy of McCain’s speech accepting the Republican nomination and noted the following:
 

• McCain claimed that Obama’s health care plan would “force small businesses to cut jobs” and would put “a bureaucrat … between you and your doctor.” In fact, the plan exempts small businesses, and those who have insurance now could keep the coverage they have. 

• McCain attacked Obama for voting for “corporate welfare” for oil companies. In fact, the bill Obama voted for raised taxes on oil companies by $300 million over 11 years while providing $5.8 billion in subsidies for renewable energy, energy efficiency and alternative fuels.
  

   

• McCain said oil imports send “$700 billion a year to countries that don’t like us very much.” But the U.S. is on track to import a total of only $536 billion worth of oil at current prices, and close to a third of that comes from Canada, Mexico and the United Kingdom. 

• He promised to increase use of “wind, tide [and] solar” energy, though his actual energy plan contains no new money for renewable energy. He has said elsewhere that renewable sources won’t produce as much as people think. 

• He called for “reducing government spending and getting rid of failed programs,” but as in the past failed to cite a single program that he would eliminate or reduce. 

• He said Obama would “close” markets to trade. In fact, Obama, though he once said he wanted to “renegotiate” the North American Free Trade Agreement, now says he simply wants to try to strengthen environmental and labor provisions in it.

What happened to the man of change?

This is an interesting article from First Post.  I admit that I shared similar concerns after watching Obama’s speech to AIPAC.  Is change conditional?  

Barack Obama’s stance on Israel exposes his agenda for change as a sham, says Alexander Cockburn

On June 3 Barack Obama claimed the greatest prize the Democratic Party can offer, namely his nomination as its candidate for the presidency. The very next day the salesman of ‘change’ raced from Minnesota back to Washington and publicly abased himself at the feet of an organisation whose prime mission is to ensure that change unpalatable to the state of Israel will never be pressed by the United States government.

The terms of Obama’s surrender before the American Israel Public Committee exploded like rhetorical cluster bombs across the Middle East. To Israel and its Arab neighbours it surely signalled that, whoever moves into the White House next January, there will be no swerve from Bush’s role as guarantor of Israeli intransigence.

Before he began his drive to the nomination Obama took good care to get the support of

influential American Jews in Chicago like the Crown family, associated with the aerospace firm, General Dynamics. Worried about rumours fanned by the Clinton campaign that he was still a secret Muslim, Obama insisted that before the April 22 primary in Pennsylvania, a state with a politically significant Jewish vote, his campaign start a Hebrew-language blog in Israel.

So Obama came to this year’s AIPAC conference determined to dispel all remaining doubts that he’s a Friend of Israel. “We will also use all elements of American power to pressure Iran,” he assured AIPAC. “I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon…Everything and I mean everything.” He swore he wouldn’t talk to the elected representatives of the Palestinians, Hamas. To thunderous applause he declared, “Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel, and it must remain undivided.”

As Uri Avnery, the veteran Israeli writer expostulated furiously in the wake of this last sentence, “Along comes Obama and retrieves from the junkyard the outworn slogan

‘I will do everything in my power to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon… Everything’

‘Undivided Jerusalem, the Capital of Israel for all Eternity’. Since Camp David, all Israeli governments have understood that this mantra constitutes an insurmountable obstacle to any peace process. It has disappeared – quietly, almost secretly – from the arsenal of official slogans.

“No Palestinian, no Arab, no Muslim will make peace with Israel if the Haram-al-Sharif compound (also called the Temple Mount), one of the three holiest places of Islam and the most outstanding symbol of Palestinian nationalism, is not transferred to Palestinian sovereignty. That is one of the core issues of the conflict. On that very issue, the Camp David conference of 2000 broke up.”

Obama’s foreign policy advisors were tearing their hair out and the next day his campaign issued a clarification. “Jerusalem is a final status issue, which means it has to be negotiated between the two parties” as part of “an agreement that they both can live with”. All the same, Jerusalem in Obama’s eyes must be the capital of Israel.

Although Obama’s statements at AIPAC got

Obama’s most egregious talent is the ability to allay suspicion among the powerful that he could rock the boat

wide coverage across the Middle East, what was obvious here in the US was the utter absence of comment in the mainstream press. It was evidently taken as a given, unworthy of editorial remark, that a man who might very well be the next president was de-activating the policy of ‘change’ precisely where it is most needed at the behest of the men the popular TV comedian Jon Stewart edgily derided as “the elders of Zion”.

Obama’s most egregious talent is the ability to adapt his rhetoric with ominous speed, to allay any suspicion among the powerful that he could rock the boat in a way they might not care for. Earlier in the campaign he was criticised for not wearing the American flag as a lapel pin. At the AIPAC event he wore a double lapel pin, with both the US and Israeli flags.

Is there a ‘real Obama’ waiting to emerge, once the messy business of pleasing the voters is over? Not really. The making of the ‘real’ Obama is an ongoing project, and the AIPAC speech an important marker in the evolution of ‘change’ into immobility. 

And political junkies everywhere breathe a long sigh of relief… at least for now.

I’ve got to give it to her.  Hillary bowed out of what Jon Stewart has very accurately described as the Long, Flat, Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March To The White House by looking back at the last 150 years, noting the strides women have made fighting for equality.  While her words were moving, I don’t think she lost because she is a woman.  She lost because the country is so desperate to lift itself from status quo. Americans need change.  Regardless of whether or not they liked Bill Clinton is irrelevant, another 4 to 8 years of Clinton is only going to perpetuate a cyclical political pattern, and NOT bring about the new political era the country is ready for. – VS

By Lorraine Woellert and Kristin Jensen

June 7 (Bloomberg) – Hillary Clintonformally conceded the race for the Democratic presidential nomination to Illinois Senator Barack Obama and told supporters they should join her in the fight to help him win the White House.

She urged her supporters to set aside any ill-well left from the close primary campaign and put their energy and passion into electing Obama.

“Life is too short, time is too precious, and the stakes are too high to dwell on what might have been,” Clinton, 60, told a crowd of more than 1,000 supporters gathered today at the National Building Museum in Washington. “We have to work together for what still can be. And that is why I will work my heart out to make sure that Senator Obama is our next president.”

The event capped an historic 17-month campaign that evolved into one of the closest nomination battles in U.S. history. Clinton, a New York senator, had held off on a formal concession even after Obama amassed enough convention delegates on June 3 to clinch the nomination.

Obama, 46, wasn’t part of the event and spent the day in his hometown of Chicago with his family. He and Clinton met privately on June 5 at the Washington home of California Senator Dianne Feinstein and discussed how the Democrats can reclaim the White House, their campaigns said.

`Thrilled and Honored’

Obama said he was “thrilled and honored” to have Clinton’s support. In a written statement, he praised Clinton for her inspiration and hard work on behalf of America. “I know she will continue to be in the forefront of that battle this fall.”

Obama will be facing Arizona Senator John McCain, a Republican who has often bucked his own party and has earned a reputation as a maverick. Both McCain and Obama have shown they can appeal to independent voters and are likely to have a pitched battle for that segment of the electorate.

Clinton may be able to help Obama most with her strongest supporters — women, blue-collar workers and older Americans. Those groups helped her claim victories in general election swing states including Ohio and Pennsylvania during the primary season. She called on them to give their allegiance to Obama.

“I’ve had a front-row seat to his campaign and I have seen his strength, his determination and his grit,” Clinton said.

Close Race

The contest between Clinton and Obama drew 36 million voters to Democratic primaries and caucuses in the last six months and the two candidates were separated by fewer than 100,000 votes at the end. While Clinton won nine of the last 16 contests, she never overcame a devastating 11-contest winning streak by Obama in February that allowed him to rack up delegates.

“She emerges from this campaign an even more powerful national leader,”Ellen Malcolm, president of the Democratic women’s fundraising group Emily’s List, said in a note to supporters yesterday. “And I know she will use that power to help Democrats, including Senator Obama, win.”

Clinton said the nomination race made history and showed the changes that have taken place in the U.S. Obama is the first African-American to lead a major party into the general election and Clinton was the first woman to be a serious contender for the presidency.

“Together, Senator Obama and I achieved milestones essential to our progress as a nation, part of our perpetual duty to form a more perfect union,” she said. “That is truly remarkable, my friends.”

Republican Reaction

As Clinton and Obama moved to unite Democrats, Republicans attempted to capitalize on the drawn out and often contentious primary race. Minutes before Clinton was scheduled to take the stage, the Republican National Committee put up a Web site with video clips of the Democratic rivals attacking each other.

Senator Joe Lieberman of Connecticut, a former Democrat who was the party’s candidate for vice president in 2004, reached out to Clinton supporters on behalf of McCain, who he supports.

In an e-mail soliciting support for a new group, Citizens for McCain, Lieberman wrote that the phones at McCain’s campaign headquarters “have been ringing with disaffected Democrats” calling to support McCain.

Senator Charles Schumer of New York called Lieberman’s e- mail disappointing and predicted party unity in November.

“Hillary supporters will rally behind the Obama ticket,” Schumer told reporters at the National Building Museum.

Rancor Remains

Rancor from the primary race remains. There was a smattering of boos when Clinton urged her supporters to work for Obama’s election and some in the crowd said they would vote for McCain rather the Illinois senator.

“Obama is a mediocre Chicago politician who voted present more than 100 times while in the Illinois Senate,” said Linda Mahoney, a paralegal from Silver Spring, Maryland. “Even if he gets a female to run for vice president, we will not vote for him.”

Still, other Clinton supporters said such sentiments are the exception.

“Most of these people are going to vote for Obama,” said Mary Hanley, a Washington, D.C., resident who works for a non- profit organization. “Hillary is going to provide a lot of leadership to help bring them along.”

Over the past few days, some of Clinton’s most prominent supporters began a campaign to push her as the vice presidential nominee. Clinton’s campaign on June 5 issued a statement trying to downplay the talk, saying she wasn’t seeking the vice presidential nomination.

The Long, Flat, Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March To The White House Nearer to the End

In the words of the great Jon Stewart, The Long, Flat, Seemingly Endless Bataan Death March To The White House appears to be one step closer to completion.  (thank Gawwwwd — even watching it from the Middle East is exhausting, and I am significantly removed from the hype)

WASHINGTON (AP) — Hillary Rodham Clinton will concede Tuesday night that Barack Obama has the delegates to secure the Democratic nomination, campaign officials said, effectively ending her bid to be the nation’s first female president.

The former first lady was not ready to formally suspend or end her race in a speechTuesday night in New York City. But if Obama gets to the magic number of delegates, 2,118, she was prepared to acknowledge that milestone, according to aides who declined to be identified.

Obama effectively secured the magic number Tuesday, based on a tally of pledged delegates, superdelegates who have declared their preference, and another 15 superdelegates who have confirmed their intentions to The Associated Press.

It also included delegates Obama was guaranteed as long as he gained 30 percent of the vote in South Dakota and Montana later in the day.

On NBC’s “Today Show,” Clinton campaign chairman Terry McAuliffe said that once Obama gets the majority of convention delegates, “I think Hillary Clinton will congratulate him and call him the nominee.”

She will pledge to continue to speak out on issues like health care. But for all intents and purposes, the two senior officials said, the campaign is over.

Most campaign staff will be let go and will be paid through June 15, said the officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to divulge her plans.

The advisers said Clinton has made a strategic decision to not formally end her campaign, giving her leverage to negotiate with Obama on various matters including a possible vice presidential nomination for her. She also wants to press him on issues he should focus on in the fall, such as health care.

Universal health care, Clinton’s signature issue as first lady in the 1990s, was a point of dispute between Obama and the New York senator during their epic nomination fight.

Clinton was at home in Chappaqua, N.Y., with her husband, former President Clintonand daughter Chelsea. She was placing calls to friends and supporters and working on a final draft of her speech. She was also resting her voice, which was nearly shot after days of nonstop campaigning.

In a formal statement, the campaign made clear the limits of how far she would go in Tuesday night’s speech. “Senator Clinton will not concede the nomination,” the statement said.

Clinton field hands who worked in key battlegrounds said they were told to stand down, without pay, and await instructions. Speaking not for attribution because they didn’t want to jeopardize their jobs searches, many said they were peddling resumes, returning to their hometowns or seeking out former employers.

Clinton officials have said they would not contest the seating of Michigan delegates at the convention in Denver this August. The campaign was angry this past weekend when a Democratic National Committee panel awarded Obama delegates it thought Clinton deserved.

Yes We Can…

I wrote an article a few days ago discussing America’s need for change and competence in leadership.  While it is not surprising to me that Barack Obama lost my state (Clinton’s adopted state), New York, I AM surprised that he lost by the margin that he did (57/40).  I stopped by Columbia University today and couldn’t walk 5 steps without running into an Obama supporter.  From the New York Times:

“In New York State, which Mrs. Clinton won 57 percent to 39 percent, Mr. Obama won just one county — Tompkins, home of Cornell. There had been speculation that he could win Brooklyn, and he came very close there — 48 percent, to Mrs. Clinton’s 50 percent.

That was the closest he came in the five boroughs. In Manhattan, she won with 54 percent, to Mr. Obama’s 44 percent.” 

Earlier today, I finally watched the “Yes We Can” video on YouTube (see below) which uses a Obama speech as the lyrics to a new song sung by a group of celebrities.  If you ask me, it’s an extraordinary product for inspiring Obama’s young constituents.  Check it out:

Then I watched Obama’s speech in Illinois this evening discussing his results in Super Tuesday.   Speaking to a crowd in his home state of Illinois, Obama told supporters:

“Our time has come.  Our movement is real and change is coming to America… This fall we owe the American people a real choice.”

I admit, his speech took on a very John F. Kennedy-esque/Martin Luther King tone.  It was…. dare I say…. inspiring.  That said, I recognize that inspiration does not a President make.  As I wrote in my article in the WashingtonPost.com’s PostGlobal section:

“This nation is ripe for a change for the better. However, we must not mistake a change in the gender, race or religion of the Commander-in-Chief as one that ensures a better, more secure future.”

That said, I DO believe Hillary Clinton represents more of the same.  The question is, can someone still a bit wet behind the ears on the national political stage provide the leadership needed in this increasingly complicated world to save this economy and boost America’s international image?  Time will tell.  The fact is, Hillary Clinton won the major states tonight – that is, California, New York and Massachusetts.  She is walking away with more delegates and while it wasn’t a “Super Duper Tuesday” for her, it certainly wasn’t too shabby.  Even if you’re not interested in politics, this horse race is exactly what is needed to reinvigorate an excitement in a politically fatigued nation.