Obama for president

“Only Pres Obama could prevent a depression, end a war, get bin Laden, bring unemployment below 8 percent, then be told he can’t run on his record."

Chris Rock

Exporting Democracy Obama Style

All across the world various dictators and governments allowed news outlets along with the public to focus their attention on the US 2008 elections, some in the hope of proving that the US democracy is flawed. Most watching the election were cheering for Mr. Obama as the presumed underdog of US politics but most have also come to the conclusion that America would never elect him. After all, Americans, as is often said, are too conservative, too prejudice, and too ignorant to go against imperial special interests controlling politics in the country. Ironically many were looking at America through the prism of their own prejudices and experiences with their own governments and elections.
American history is full of examples were great presidents were elected despite being unlikely candidates. It goes to show how little attention we pay to history or how easy it is to be distracted by recent events that block our view of the past. The Bush administration’s stated goal of “exporting democracy” to others had provided the world a decidedly bad example of Democracy, one imposed by a foreign power and one that favors the most docile of politicians.
The world’s expectations of America were so low that no one believed that the American Democracy was anything but a forgone conclusion. No wonder the Chinese, the Russians, Arab and African dictators, and even the Iranian government allowed a fair amount of media coverage of the 2008 American election, thinking that their people would have a first row seat to the final proof that their propaganda messages against America were true. Many of the world public expected that the American election would turn out just like the elections in the own countries, predetermined by those in power and influence.
Well, the dictators’ presumptions were wrong, and now they’re stuck with their people finally seeing what real democracy really looks like. Nobody in America knew who the president will be, not even the candidates, until the peoples’ votes were counted, or for that matter projected. More importantly, after the election those who disagreed with the majority vote didn’t go on rampage and the National Guard didn’t have to be called in.
I wonder how the next fixed Russian election would feel like to the Russians as ex-president Putin will run to be president again and will shockingly be elected. He will not cause as much excitement, however, because the Russians now know the difference between true democracy and a fake one.
It will certainly be a little bit more difficult to swallow the BS surrounding the next election in Iran which can already be predicted even though we still don’t know who the candidates are. The odds are that many of the legitimate candidates will be vetted out by the governing theocracy leaving the country will a few choices like the current president and one of the ex-presidents both trying to run on a platform of change.
Its OK if the world forgets about the history of American Democracy because as luck would have it, American democracy is evolving to something better as time passes. America’s best days lie ahead.

Romney vs McCain on Immigration

Romney has come a long way to prove himself as the most anti-immigrant among the remaining Republican presidential candidates. True to form, his low blow attacks on McCain’s on the issue came across as slogans and propaganda and lacked real substance.

Senator McCain has nothing to be ashamed of when it comes to his efforts to tackle the extremely unpopular issue of immigration reform. If Romney has it his way then nobody should dare pass any reform and we all should just move south to guard the borders.

Illegal immigrants risk their lives to cross the border only to face exploitation by greedy businesses that pay them a fraction of the minimal wage for the work they do. Their reasons for coming here are no different than the founding colonials. Come to think of those guys didn’t need a visa to come to America either--Their effort to get here was good enough at the time. We all can agree that illegal immigrants are braking the law of the land by crossing the border without a visa but their intentions are as such that calling them criminals is a stretch even in an election season.

Many would agree with the contention that this election is the Democrats’ to lose. The republican nominee for president doesn’t stand a chance in the general election unless he moves to the center. McCain is already there, except on the war.

It is worth mentioning that a growing number of military recruits are now Hispanic immigrants or sons of Hispanic immigrants. The increasing hostile stance by Romney must come as a huge insult to these men and women in uniform. The Hispanic vote is all but guaranteed to be against Romney if he were to clinch the Republican nomination.

McCain should cease the chance to point out that Romney’s only policy on immigration is to build a larger fence then bury his head in the sand, whereas McCain has the courage to at least address the problem head on. There is no clear path to follow on this divisive issue but most politicians recognize that something needs to be done giving the magnitude of the problem.

Tightening the border without immigration reform simply means that the thousands who used to cross the border just to work a few months then return are now having no choice but to stay permanently in the US as they can no longer risk crossing the border back and forth. The anti-immigrant forces are in essence contributing to the increasing number of illegal immigrants permanently residing in the US by their “enforcement only policy”.

Immigration reform would also mean that employers will no longer be able to use the illegal status of their immigrant workers to exploit and underpay them. If Immigrants are paid the same as Americans then the incentive to hire immigrants over Americans would be eliminated.

The many millions who live in the US illegally are likely to remain here no matter what congress decides to do. These immigrants are not going to leave just because the US didn’t pass a law to grant them legal status. Their lives are as such that they have very little choice about where they live. Most are here by necessity and will stay even if their hardships are increased.

It should be clear to most, including Romney, that McCain’s efforts on immigration are honorable and necessary.

The latest attack ads by Romney is further proof that he would do and say anything to be elected. I think he would even switch to the Democratic Party if he thought it would help him get elected.

McCain! You're killing me!

I happen to be in the unenviable position of thinking that Senator McCain is the best choice for president of the United States at this juncture. He is probably not going to be president, however, due to, in no Small part, to his own efforts. Everybody know that he needs to pander to the extreme right in order to pass the hurdle of the Republican primary, but he is taking it so far that he is becoming unelectable even in the eyes of right wing Republicans. He looks like he badly needs the presidency, rather than wanting to be president.
His advisers seem oblivious to the fact that both Republicans and Democrats all want an end to the Iraq war in their life time, and so when he the Senator comes across as pro-war no matter what it hurts his electability with both party electorates. Even for supporters, like me, it is becoming worrisome when McCain doesn't distinguish himself from president Bush when it comes to Iraq. There is nothing wrong with qualifying the Senator's support for the war by declaring that he wants the US out of Iraq but he'll do it in a manner that protects US interests and the territorial integrity of Iraq. I personally hope that Mr. McCain doesn't really believe that having 500,000 troops in Iraq would solve the problem; if he does then maybe it's a good thing that he doesn't stand a chance at this point.
If I were the senator's advisor I would advise him to do the following:
-To come to peace with the possibility that he won't be the next president of the United States as it is detrimental to his cause to appear to want the presidency at all cost.
-Support the efforts in Iraq by saying that we he is not in support for immediate withdrawal from Iraq but he does not support turning Iraq into another de facto US territory and is in favor of calculated withdrawal with continued support for our allies in Iraq post withdrawal.
-To continue his anti-torture stance but clearly state that the United States can never guarantee 100% security for its citizens even with torture. The United States, more than ever, needs to make a stance against the forces of hatred and blind revenge within and without. The best chance the US has against terrorism is when it stands for its ideals and principles without giving in to the temptation to hate back and take revenge.
-Declare that the US economic recovery is dependent on US efforts to support peace in the world and mutual peaceful coexistence.
-Talk about how Democratic candidates, if elected, are likely to adopt an aggressive posture in Iraq in order to demonstrate their toughness against terrorism, and that Senator McCain is the best candidate, as a war hero, to make the right decisions in Iraq without worrying about being called a coward if he pulls out of Iraq.
I hope Senator McCain would heed the advice and go on to be the next president of the United States.

Jabbar Fazeli, MD
Author, Iraq Decoded