America in Perpetual Beta
I enjoyed this article from John Ibbitson in Saturday’s Globe and Mail. The general idea – an Obama Victory Would Validate A New Era – is pretty underwhelming. But as an outsider (a Canadian), what’s particularly interesting is his argument that a Barrack win once again demonstrates America’s resiliency, it’s ability to adapt and revamp, in the hardest times:
“One of the chief elements of Anglo-American culture has been this ability to reach out and bring in new talent and expand its notion of who the ‘we’ is. That process is still incredibly healthy.”
“The rise of Barack Obama testifies to the extraordinary resilience of American society,” says Mr. Walter Meade, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.
America has never surrendered to nostalgia. This is a forward-looking people, who once again appear determined to confound those who believe this will be some other nation’s century.
Ibbitson shares that an Obama win represents America’s ability to innovate and sustain global dominance. Obviously what Barrack does in office (wood knock) will have the ultimate impact – but given 1) the domestic enthusiasm around him, and 2) the attention he’s received from the rest of the world (see Berlin photo below) – I think you’d be hard pressed to disagree with this hypothesis.
is that really obama doing a chin up?
Yepper. The caption from photographer Callie Shell reads (link in post), “Two staffers had just passed this site and done two pull-ups. Not to be outdone, Obama did three with ease, dropped and walked out to make a speech. Missoula, Mont., 4/5/2008.”