Who does Obama want to be?

The Obama enthusiasm is felt by many in America and is definitely felt by more around the world. The real question is what kind of leader will Obama be? Will he be a talked about US president long after his presidency that re-defined US politics, foreign relations and brought prosperity to America and fixed domestic American problems, along the likes of JFK, Lincoln, Roosevelt or even like Washington? Or will he be a transformational world figure like Gandhi that the world will talk of centuries later? This remains to be seen, and he can go either way. So far he has not shown us his deck.

One can argue either way. So far the senator has voted along party lines for major legislation. He went back on his word on accepting public financing for his campaign. He admitted to doing drugs as a youngster, he attended a church where the Pastor has turned radical and he did have some sort of drive-by with Chicago thugs and Bill Ayers; maybe none of these were significant, but used as a way to greater good? One can argue he is your run of the mill astute politician that knows his way to the top and knows how to make it happen. Well I’d argue he needed to be all that to become more. But will he be more?

On the other hand there are indicators that he is extraordinary. His ability to motivate people of all ages and talk about and confront issues like race, that no one will touch. His audacity to take on the world stage in Germany before even elected president. His judgment not just to stand up to something to establish the title of maverick but to stand up to the one thing that reflects depth in character; a war that almost everyone supported when he opposed it. Not just any war this is the illegal occupation of the century.

Then there are indicators that he did not use his position to better the agenda’s of certain special interest. For example he had the opportunity to change the image of African Americans in Harvard. He had the power to do a lot more than he did for their cause, and he chose not to. Was he carefully ensuring that no bias skeletons ever emerged from his closet? It would be an oversight not to consider it.

The prismatic sides to Obama clearly state he is not all that you see, there’s more to this person than we know. We do not know how Obama will lead, what he will do, who he wants to be. But we can speculate or at the least encourage him to be who he can be and should be and who we really need and longingly want him to be.

The world is a big mess and the disarray is headed up by the US. The world needs a leader who can cure the ills but more importantly the world needs a savior in all sense of the word. We talk a lot about re-establishing America’s image as the beacon of justice and peace and model for the rest of the world. We talk about fixing the American economy, helping the middle class and brining greater prosperity to America. Can Obama do this? Yes, but so can many others. This won’t set him apart. But he’ll need to do this so he can do what we really need him to.

Obama is the one hope to see real world progress in our generation. Not world peace, not a world without borders or religion, but a hope for a life for all humans on earth with their basic needs met. A life not amidst a raging war, with bodies, perpetual fear of death, destruction and pain but a life, with a place and a family to come home to. Is this possible? I don’t know. But I can hope and this is my hope of change that I’ve been waiting for Obama to deliver and I can certainly nurture my hope 8 more years, I’ve waited many more and read of the greater wait of others. Barak Obama be that person that transforms our hopes into dreams that become reality. You can do it.

Copyright d.i.