When candidate Barck Obama won the election and became President-elect in 2008, he seemed to represent so many of the hopes and dreams of Americans. He was black, and that seemed to represent just how much the nation had changed over the course of decades. Racial barriers of the past were being steadily torn down, and his victory was one more - and a big one at that!
Also, he seemed to bring a spirit that ran counter to what we had seen for eight years prior. After the long term and the mockery that the Bush administration had made of the White House, and the nation in general, Obama's election seemed to be a welcome change in direction.
His victory was met with much enthusiasm overseas, as well. People seemed hopeful in Europe, in Asia, and especially in Africa.
The honeymoon period lasted a few months, but began to yield to reality not long after he was sworn in and then celebrated with Inaugural Balls and such.
People still were enthusiastic for a while, but the hoopla died down, and before you knew it, most people, even strong supporters, lost their feeling that he possessed an almost divine status. Perhaps people will not admit to it nowadays, but at the time, he was indeed held up so high, that there was almost no chance that he would actually even come close to being all the things to all the people that so many hoped that he would be.
In fact, it seemed that "hope" and "change" yielded to disillusionment and business as usual, or more of the same. What disappointed people was not so much what Obama was, as what he wasn't. He proved not so much to be an agent of change, as just another self-serving politician unwilling (and unable in several cases, seemingly) to truly affect meaningful change.
Indeed, it did not take long before the political realities, both inside and outside of the United States, began to undermine this dreamy notion of who Obama was, and revealed a far more realistic version. And this reality did not mesh well at all with the dreamy stature that he had once possessed, at the height of his power and influence.
Before long, we had the rise of the Tea Party, and extreme conservatism returned in new clothing. Predictably, Obama was demonized almost as quickly and completely as he had once been hailed in a divine status. Just like with the divine status, the demonization also goes too far, and blames him for everything, including a hell of a lot that could frankly be traced back to his predecessor. But as many people, including comedians, suggested, it's easier to blame the black guy.
Yet, that said, President Obama has to take some of the blame for his fallen star status himself. He seemed to lack the fire as President that had inspired so many while he was a candidate. It also came out that he said some pretty dumb things along the way (like visiting 57 states), and then did things that ran counter to what he promised when running for President. Things like extending the Bush tax cuts that primarily benefited the wealthy. Things like singing the NDAA into law, and giving the President the authority to override the traditionally protected right of habeas corpus. Things like signing the more recent Monsanto Protection Act.
True, Obama won reelection. But was that not more the Republicans own undoing, rather than Obama's doing? I mean, the Republicans had a weak field. Perry could not even remember the three things that he would cut. And the Republicans seemed reserved and reluctant in choosing the one man who systematically was among the front runners from the beginning of the Republican race to the end. There were flashes in the pan that would look promising one minute, then pull a disappearing act the next. Palin might run, and everyone assumed she might win. But her popularity waned after one too many idiotic comments, and she wound up not even running. Then came Bachmann, and she became the leader temporarily. Then Cain. Perry entered the race and instantly seemed to take over. When Rick Perry is your leading candidate, you know you're in trouble. But he proved to be too much o an idiot not to be his own undoing. Then, it was New Gingrich. Then, Rick Santorum. But finally, hesitantly, the Republicans came to terms with Romney, a man they never seemed to fully embrace. And he was capable of saying and doing some moronic things that strongly undermined his party's chances. Their was dressage. There were the missing tax returns. There was Big Bird. There was the 47%.
Yet, still, Obama had to squeak by. If he had not been helped out by another President, Bill Clinton, during the Democratic Convention, I'm not so sure we're not talking about President Romney right now. That's telling.
Much like with Bush before him, Obama's ability to get himself reelected allowed his status, and approval ratings, to rise a bit once again. It still was nowhere near what it once had been, but he was not as monstrously, ridiculously unpopular as he was starting to be there for a while.
Yet, even this half-assed second honeymoon ended rather quickly. the Republicans have relentlessly attacked him for the Banghazi attacks, hoping to make this his Waterloo. Or perhaps, rather, his Watergate.
Then there has been the whole controversy with unprecedented surveillance, including the infamous drones. I am not sure that Bush before him, or Romney had he been elected, would have done it any differently. Yet, it happened under Obama's watch, so he is blamed. And, frankly, perhaps rightly so.
The economy, they tell us, is picking up. Yet, although the stock market seems to be running strong, there is a feeling that the American people themselves are not actually all that much better off then they were four or five years ago, when Obama's star first rose.
And if he thought he was being criticized for his foreign policy before....boy, that was nothing compared to now!
One area that he had seemingly neglected was Africa. So, he set up a tour of Africa. Yet, this is being overshadowed by the ailing health of Nelson Mandela. So much has this overshadowed Obama's trip, that some have even forgotten that Obama is in Africa! Plus, this trip has been criticized for being purely for economic incentives. No major policy shifts or changes of direction. His two predecessors, Clinton and Bush, were frankly far stronger, much more visible, and more definitive in their African approach. Obama has some catching up to do and, given his roots, as well as his once overwhelming popularity in Africa, this came as a surprise.
Then, the whole Edward Snowden thing. He is being pursued by American authorities for revealing much about American government surveillance. Right now, he is apparently still in a Russian airport, seeking asylum there. He sought asylum also in Ecuador, the country that everyone assumed he was on his way to, and Ecuador broke a trade pact with the United States specifically in order not to be blackmailed and pressured into caving to US wishes in regards to Snowden (Here's the link to the article "Ecuador breaks US trade pact to thwart 'blackmail' over Snowden asylum" by Rory Carroll of the Guardian, published on the 27th of June, a little less than one week ago: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/27/ecuador-us-trade-pact-edward-snowden)
As it turns out, however, Snowden never left Russia, and is currently seeking asylum there.
Now, here's the thing: Russia was tired of being criticized by the United States for human rights violations. So, they have turned the tables on the United States in this case, and seem to be trying to drag this situation out for the whole world to watch. The United States, with the highest incarceration rate in the world, is trying to make moves and strike deals to obtain this one man, a whistle-blower who angered government officials by revealing quite a bit about American surveillance. You can't make this stuff up.
You would think perhaps at least things would be contained from there, that more bad news would not be on the way, right?
But you'd be wrong.
There is a new controversy, and this one could really explode in the face of the Obama administration, and in a place where they usually have enjoyed strong support, not only from friendly governments, but from the general population there, as well: western Europe.
The latest breaking (bad) news for the administration has, once again, to do with surveillance. French president Francois Hollande has expressed anger over NSA spying off government offices in western European government offices, traditionally allies of the United States. Looks like President Obama's surprisingly long European honeymoon is suddenly over, as well.
Turns out, the United States has had a long-standing tradition of spying on their allies. Secretary of State John Kerry claimed it was normal, and President Obama has reiterated this argument:
"Obama suggests spying on nations' allies is common" by Tom Raum of the Associated Press, July 1, 2013
http://news.yahoo.com/obama-suggests-spying-nations-allies-common-210845024.html
http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal_government/obama-defends-us-spying-on-europe-others-as-normal-for-all-nations-europeans-not-amused/2013/07/02/1c0a62b4-e2e2-11e2-8657-fdff0c195a79_story.html
Here are some links to the spying issue that is suddenly making such headlines:
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/07/01/france-hollande-tells-us-to-immediately-stop-spying/
"Obama defends US spying on Europe, others as normal for all nations; Europeans not amused" by Evan Vucci of the Associated Press:
http://uk.news.yahoo.com/france-warns-us-spying-claims-195312595.html
And, if you thought that this was just restricted to the French (and perhaps dismissed it as a result of that fact, here's some articles to serve as proof that this particular news story is not relegated to France, but is upsetting Europeans in general:
"NSA spying row: bugging friends is unacceptable, warn Germans" Ian Traynor of the Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/01/nsa-spying-allegations-germany-us-france
Here's a New York Times article that also mentions Germany's unhappiness with being spied upon:
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/02/world/europe/france-and-germany-piqued-over-spying-scandal.html?src=mv&_r=0
http://www.internationalreporter.com/News-22768/american-spying-policy-irks-germany-and-france-kerry-not-impressed.html
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