New Beginnings

Barack Hussein Obama is the presumptive Democratic nominee for the November US Presidential election. This is a history of sorts.. and marks a new beginning in American politics and the sensitve race relations.

There has been questions on the readiness of US in having a colored President and that too one with a Muslim middle name. It is still not clear if Mr. Obama will make it to the White House or not, but the mere fact that he has come this far shows how much America has changed. From slavery to Presidency, US has come a long way and this exactly is what I believe is the strength of America. the ability to change and embrace new things. Change comes with uncertainty and risk, but then "If nothing changes then nothing changes'.

Now back to Barack Obama..
It is going to be interesting to see how things shape up between now and November. Unless things go wrong in a big way, George Bush has done enough harm to the Republican party and to its Presidential candidate (John MeCain) to make people shy away from anyone standing on that party's ticket. But, I don't think that alone is the reason why Barack Obama would win the November elections. He would and should because he brings a different perspective on the contentious international affairs of US. He will not be able to pull out of Iraq or Afghanistan quickly, but would atleast start going in that path and not allow US to be mired in to another Vietnam.

The question that is asked in India is.. How would Barack Obama's ascendency impact India-US relations? well, I have mixed opinion on that.. and would reserve it for a separate post..

Regardless of the impact on US relationship with India, Barack Obama will be more acceptable in the Islamic world than John MeCain. This would be a welcome relief as he could start rebuilding the US image to the external world, which has been highly tarnished and distorted in the last eight years.

Whichever way you look it, Barack Obama as the presumptive Democratic nominee is significant and marks a New Begining..

Who Will be the Next President of US?

Two important primaries are underway in US as I write this post. Democrats of Indiana and North Carolina are choosing between Barak Obama and Hillary Clinton today with each of them projected to carry one state with them.

I am not sure if today's vote will be decisive enough to make a definitive call on Democratic nominee but if Hillary manages to carry both the states today, then it is likely to swing the super delegates to her camp and would eventually help her clinch the nomination and the presidency.

I hope she does.. because whosoever clinches the Democratic nomination is most likely win the November showdown as well...

That's my call.. what's is yours? Who do you think will be the next President of US ? Clinton, Obama or McCain?

US Ready For a Black President?

Not sure.. but a predominantly white state thinks so. The mid western state of Iowa has chosen Barak Obama over Hillary Clinton (and John Edwards) as their choice for Democratic Nominee for the 2008 Presidential election.

In the end, this historic Iowa vote may not mean much in the overall scheme of things and Mrs. Clinton might still win the Democratic Primary. But this is indeed a giant step in a country where race relations evoke extreme reactions and a subtle race under current is always present in all spheres of the society.

Once thing is certain though, Anyone who wins the Democratic primary is bound become the next President of US. Not because Democrats are any better, but Mr. Bush has done enough harm to the Republican cause and has alienated the public so much that any Democratic candidate would find it easy. Mr. Bush has done what Democrats couldn't have done themselves. Mr. Bush's war on terror may have prevented another terrorist attack on the US soil, but hundreds of Americans (and thousands of Iraqis and Afghanis) have died in the name of war on terror which is spreading its tentacles to Pakistan as well.

This will be the first US presidential election that I am going to be watching remotely in a while. I used to enjoy the spectacle of '30 second sound bites', spin masters and unending drama unfold in TV the first few elections and later also on the web. This time around, youtube is playing a big role in the elections with interesting twists and turns. I am digressing here.. let's get back to Mr. Obama..

Even if Mr. Obama doesn't make it, it is still significant that Iowa has voted for a black democract. It shows the sign of things to come and how US is slowly coming to terms with the diversity.

America’s tragedy

America’s tragedy is the vague (or no) gun policy.. Well, America does have a policy and that is to have no gun control.

Flags were flying at half mast in Anaheim, CA after the Virginia Tech tragedy. I took this picture near the convention center (last week) where I was attending a conference. As to be expected there is lot debate about thetragedy and even President Bush visited the campus and spoke eloquently about his shock and sadness. Yet, he shied away from talking about guns and gun control.

By some accounts, there are more guns stores than Gas (petrol) stations in America providing easy access to terrible destructive power. No doubt, Cho Seung-hui was mentally disturbed and such people exist in every society. But what made the difference was the ease with which he was able to acquire the guns. Had he not been able to acquire the guns so easily, he might have killed fewer people or perhaps none at all.

In US, Guns are routinely used in killings / suicides and involved in fatal accidents. Yet, politicians on either end of the spectrum shy away from effective debate on gun control. Even after the largest peacetime massacre at Virginia Tech, there were more discussions about campus security than about guns itself.

I for one like many immigrants have never understood why politicians consider guns as holy cow and don’t talk about it. This more so because, I admire the ability of the American society introspect several sensitive issues and discuss them threadbare. From abortion to race relations to Iraq war there seem to be no holy cows expect of course guns.

I believe it is high time America introspected on this as well and did something about it.