Let Obama be Obama

It's been 9 months since Barack Obama became President, and if like me, you were hopeful of a great new direction with clear thinking then you will also be feeling a little disappointed.

With a pliant Congress, I would have hoped that he would have been able to make progress on US healthcare, the Middle East and Afghanistan. Unfortunately the former two of those have been ground down to stalemate, and for the latter it seems as if he is going in wrong direction (especially by refusing more troops for the war).

It takes me back to a fantastic episode in the first series of the West Wing, my favourite programme. After one and a half years of trying, the administration has achieved little but compromise and obfuscation and President Bartlett is very unhappy. With characteristic aplomb Leo pulls out a hanky on which "Let Bartlett be Bartlett" was written, taken from the presidential primary campaign. It was the signal that compromise should be eschewed in favour of positive action even if they lost a few battles.

I think someone needs to show Obama a similar monikered hanky. Let Obama be Obama.

Squiffy.