Cynthia Tucker on Obama

Three things.

First, Cynthia Tucker's recent syndicated response to disaster--to "the sky is falling"--is absurd. If the sky is falling--and it is--its doing so doesn't "depend on where you're standing." Six years ago New Orleans was flooded--and no matter where you were standing, yes, New Orleans was flooded. Even people on St. Charles Avenue knew that. Even Ray Nagin hiding in his penthouse knew that. We have lots more examples--but I read Tucker's nonsense in the New Orleans Timers Picayune.

Second, "Obama's first campaign centered around hope." That's nonsense, too. How is it possible for a campaign to "center around" hope? A center is a center, even in these impossible times in this desperately possible place. Tucker is talking nonsense.

Third, Tucker wants Obama to "reignite that spark" of what was, very briefly, hope. But Obama himself snuffed out any "spark" of hope he had given us with the first three of his broken promises: (1) he didn't end our wars of aggression, but multiplied them; (2) he failed to close the torture camp at Guantanamo Bay; and (3) he failed to restore our constitutional right of habeas corpus--and thus has been able to torture Private Bradley Manning in naked solitary confinement at Quantico for twelve months. (Manning's continuing imprisonment--without being charged with a crime, let alone brought to trial--was justified by Obama, of course, by his dictatorial proclamation, "Manning broke the law.")

The only hope I can see that Obama might be expected to ignite would come from his apologising for having been such a terrible, irresponsible, and untrustworthy president thus far, and resigning.

Obama has taught us how utterly hollow hope can be. As a former law professor he is intelligent enough to understand what a terrible lesson he has taught us.

"Can Obama inspire new hope in voters?" Of course he can't. Cynthia Tucker's essay is nonsense. But it does invite us to say the obvious: Obama should resign.

Bert G. Hornback