I am a quote monger. Very early on in life, I realised that being original takes way too much talent which, unfortunately, I have not been blessed with. However, what I do have is the knack and the limited intellect of recognising a good quote when I see one (or so I think!!).
In this crazed media age, a good quote is what you will rarely find. President Obama is a rare gem amidst the crowd of unimpressive national leaders, who just appears well...perfect and seems to say just the right thing on most occasions. His public persona is pleasing and soothing, whether he is enjoying a casual dance with his wife in the company of young students in Mumbai or holding a baby in his arms while visiting Alabama in the aftermath of the Tornado. If there is a people’s president, he is the one.
21 January 2009 symbolised a day of hope and change. Two years down the line, I stand disappointed by Mr. Barack Hussain Obama II, President of the United States.
On 12 January 2011, President Obama addressed a memorial service for the victims of the shootings in Tucson, Arizona. It is easily one of the most beautiful speeches I have heard in recent times. It had all the elements that make a good memorial speech….personal, respectful and intensely emotional. Yet, it all seemed so politically and strategically relevant to our times. Despite his plummeting ratings, Obama had struck out and how.
Obama said:
How can we honor the fallen? How can we be true to their memory?
You see, when a tragedy like this strikes, it is part of our nature to demand explanations –- to try and pose some order on the chaos and make sense out of that which seems senseless. Already we’ve seen a national conversation commence, not only about the motivations behind these killings, but about everything from the merits of gun safety laws to the adequacy of our mental health system. And much of this process, of debating what might be done to prevent such tragedies in the future, is an essential ingredient in our exercise of self-government.
But at a time when our discourse has become so sharply polarized -– at a time when we are far too eager to lay the blame for all that ails the world at the feet of those who happen to think differently than we do -– it’s important for us to pause for a moment and make sure that we’re talking with each other in a way that heals, not in a way that wounds.
He added,
' Sudden loss causes us to look backward -– but it also forces us to look forward; to reflect on the present and the future, on the manner in which we live our lives and nurture our relationships with those who are still with us.
And that process -- that process of reflection, of making sure we align our values with our actions –- that, I believe, is what a tragedy like this requires.
The essence of his speech can be summed up in his own words, as follows:
To be better in our private lives, to be better friends and neighbors and coworkers and parents. And if, as has been discussed in recent days, their death helps usher in more civility in our public discourse, let us remember it is not because a simple lack of civility caused this tragedy -- it did not -- but rather because only a more civil and honest public discourse can help us face up to the challenges of our nation in a way that would make them proud.
And yet, a few months later, on 2 May 2011, Obama acted and spoke in sharp contrast to his value system. He glorified the killing of a man who was the mastermind of a terrorist attack on the United States nearly ten years ago through an intensely dramatic televised announcement, his deep voice resonating through the enmpty White House corridors. Just like those sappy patriotic songs honouring the armed forces bring tears to our eyes, with a heightened sense of American nationalism, Obama proudly proclaimed:
On September 11, 2001, in our time of grief, the American people came together. We offered our neighbors a hand, and we offered the wounded our blood. We reaffirmed our ties to each other, and our love of community and country.
The death of bin Laden marks the most significant achievement to date in our nation’s effort to defeat al Qaeda.
Today’s achievement is a testament to the greatness of our country and the determination of the American people....And on nights like this one, we can say to those families who have lost loved ones to al Qaeda’s terror: Justice has been done .
Where was Obama's civility when he ordered and watched the brutal killing of Osama bin Laden and denied his family the right to perform his last rites? US officials have explained that Osama was buried at sea to prevent his grave from being turned into a shrine.
Most importantly, where was the forgiveness in the aftermath of a tragedy that he preached about in his Tucson memorial speech?
What is truly unfortunate is that Obama has increasingly begun to sound like his predecessor, on questions of national security and counter terrorism. What is also telling is that Obama is not alone in his victory. Not only have all US 'friends and allies' who allegedly stand protected in the post-Osama world expressed their public excitement about the killing, even the UN Secretary General Ban-ki-Moon mirrored the same views, when he stated, 'Personally, I am very much relieved by the news that justice has been done to such a mastermind of international terrorism'.
The only sensible quote I read was from our battered Prime Minister who, in his endless 'to do' list, must also include driving some sense into some respectable members of his Cabinet who grabbed this glorious opportunity to continue their Pak-bashing.
I welcome it as a significant step forward and hope that it will deal a decisive blow to Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The international community and Pakistan in particular must work comprehensively to end the activities of all such groups who threaten civilized behaviour and kill innocent men, women and children.
I am not even talking about the conspiracy theories related to Osama's killing which is inevitable in high profile, covert operations like this. I leave it to experts to figure it all out and the United States and Pakistani government to get their stories right.
As a conscious citizen, I share my concern with Obama that tragedy often forces us to look backwards rather than moving forward and often with devastating consequences. Yet, he does just the reverse, couching an act of revenge as an act of justice. I am horrified when I sense the valiant triumphalism in his tone when he announces Osama's death to the world or see images of him watching US commandos gun down Osama. Even more than the so called gruesome images of dead Osama that Obama refuses to release.
This is not just limited to the United States, of course. We have seen similar scenes in India with regard to Afzal Guru and Ajmal Kasab.
If public service is about setting examples, then Obama has set a wrong one. I am aware that leading the United States is no joke and your last speech matters only as much as your last meal. I was deeply moved by Obama’s memorial speech because I saw in it a honesty and self-belief that I have rarely seen in my political consciousness and that is why I believe it. What I do not believe is the hollow nationalism and false sense of justice in his statement on Osama’s death. That is a classic un-Obama.
I understand that the last two years have been extremely challenging for Obama, most of which has been spent trying to undo the seemingly irreparable damage caused by Mr. Bush. But, as Obama himself has said:
We may not be able to stop all evil in the world, but I know that how we treat one another, that’s entirely up to us. And I believe that for all our imperfections, we are full of decency and goodness, and that the forces that divide us are not as strong as those that unite us.
I hope Obama rediscovers the civility in himself and finds his true self i.e. a decent and good man.
Don’t let Osama kill the real Obama.
