[Basler
Zeitung, Switzerland]
L'Orient Le Jour, Lebanon
'Astonishing Americans:' The Land of
Possibilities
"An unknown even four years ago, a leader has been born who
through the magic of his words has enabled all of us, beyond his
nation's borders, to imagine that we're all Americans, in solidarity at last
after having been divided for so long. … But the words, as exhilarating as they may be, will not
suffice. Nor will promises of a better tomorrow if they take too long to materialize."
By
Christian Merville
Translated
By Sandrine Ageorges
November
6, 2008
Democracy
is coming to the USA
It’s
coming from the sorrow in the street
The
holy places where the races meet
(Leonard
Cohen: Democracy - The Future)
Lebanon - L'Orient
Le Jour - Home Page - (French)
That disconcerting America, which had
given us the worst: George W. Bush, has just offered us - we want to believe so
badly - the best . Astonishing Americans, who know so well how to bounce back
and make us forget the past eight years of disastrous wrongdoing. Unadventurous
Europe, which looked like an orphan without a leader yesterday, today appears
relieved to see the burden assumed again on the other side of the Atlantic.
Was history made this Tuesday, November
4th 2008? Indeed, and one must hope a lot more. Undoubtedly it will take a
little longer to realize its importance, with the abolition of racial
segregation only forty years ago. The fact that the hero of this historic event
comes from Illinois, the home of Abraham Lincoln, confers a particular radiance
upon him. For a few brief moments, it was this radiance that was found once
again reflected in the eyes of these men, and these women, who awoke to a
sunrise over Chicago, and who went to hear this man speak with Churchillian accents, of the arduous path that awaits them.
An Obama supporter burst
into tears as it became clear that
the Democratic candidate was
on a path to victory, in Harlem.
The miracle is that this is a country
which has reconciled with itself after a very long estrangement has a renewed
hope for a better future. This, just when everything seemed grey and the most
sacred principles - those of democracy, freedom and free enterprise - had lost
all meaning. They were distorted in Guantanamo, Kandahar and the land of
Palestine. The new President pounded away: “Yes we can,” and the crowd echoed
these three magic words with a kind of exaltation, a catharsis after the great
fear of the previous weeks. He also said: “If there is anyone out there who
still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still
wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions
the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.” And we could see the
answer - in Grant Park in Chicago, below a sea of waving flags, in the tears rolling
down every cheek. All because a leader was born, an unknown only four years
ago, who through the magic of his words has enabled us all, beyond his
nation's borders, to imagine that we're all Americans, in solidarity at last
after having been divided for so long.
But let us descend to earth, since this is
about politics and its most unsavory feature: the electoral process. Without
taking anything away from the grandeur of the moment nor the power of Barack
Obama’s charisma, let us take note that this victory comes thanks to the
geniuses of the Democratic Party who designed, down to the finest detail, a
campaign that allowed him to win all the big states except for Texas, which was
more due to Bush that anything: California, Illinois, New York, New Jersey,
Ohio, Pennsylvania, far more than the number of votes needed, for a grand total
of 349 electoral votes, a landslide unprecedented for a long time.
Objectivity obliges us to recognize that
they were assisted by their Republican colleagues, who designed a path that ran
through the gutter, marked by mean
tactics which reached their worst and were crowned -
but we owe this to the GOP candidate himself - by the disastrous choice of
Sarah Palin who, despite all of her handicaps, managed to get the fifteen
minutes of global fame that was once promised to all by Andy Warhol 
.
The most distressing part was that his supporters no longer recognized John McCain,
who was a universally respected political figure, having been a war prisoner of
the Vietcong and who certainly deserved better than the undignified role that
was conferred upon him.
Posted by WORLDMEETS.US
And then of course, how can one doubt that
this longest campaign in American history - and the most expensive - will
shortly be the subject of political science courses, as it was put recently by
Theodore H. White, author of a monumental series entitled The Making of the
President? [The fours books were written after four consecutive U.S.
elections, from 1961-1973 ].
Once the crashing cymbals of victory are
forgotten and the studious period of transition is over, the time will come for
the global community to address the challenges posed by a moribund economy,
terrorism that is more threatening than ever, a planet short of oxygen and a
society without true leadership. For the United States, it will be about
cutting taxes, getting out of the Iraqi and Afghan quagmires and rendering the
health care system more accessible - challenges that were cowardly ignored by the
previous administration. So the words, as exhilarating as they may be, will not
suffice. Nor will promises of a better tomorrow, if they take too long to materialize.
The disappointment could be as cruel as the great hopes that were raised when
everything seemed possible.
CLICK HERE FOR
FRENCH VERSION
[Posted by
WORLDMEETS.US November 8, 12:20Am]
