I read an interesting post on Twitter today by Kirk LaPointe (@kirklapointe), managing editor for the Vancouver Sun and Adjunct Professor at the UBC School of Journalism, regarding Barack Obama’s visit to Canada later this week:

When Obama visits Cda on frist[sic] intl trek, no speeches, six hours, see ya. We’re the foreign policy equivalent of an O’Hare layover.

Despite what Canadians might feel about Obama choosing Canada as his first country to visit as the newly minted US president, with more details emerging regarding his trip to our country, it’s becoming increasingly apparent that this is more a dress rehearsal than a legitimate start to his foreign affairs platform. Indeed, many news reports have the Obama team admitting that Canada was chosen because of the easier logistics of arranging a trip to Ottawa than say Brussels or Paris. Also, notice how there’s been little if any attention in Washington in regards to Obama’s impending trip to the Great White North. Robert Gibbs, Obama’s Press Secretary, only bothered mentioning this visit at the end of his daily briefing on January 28th with this rather perfunctory remark – Click here to continue reading »”Obama To Canada – Sorry, But I’m Just Not That Into You”

Watching the events leading up to the swearing-in of President-elect Barack Obama as the next American president, I can’t help but notice the curious reaction of Americans to the impending inauguration ceremony. Indeed, both the reactions of the public and the maneuvers of the Obama camp lend to the notion that we’re not so much witnessing the swearing-in of a political leader, but the coronation of a new king.

There’s no question that the last eight years has seen an erosion in both the strength of the American economy, but also it’s influence on the global stage and for a people that pride themselves as being the envy of the world, that’s an understandable hard pill to swallow. Usher in a young-ish, charismatic and eloquent political figure and it’s not hard to see why the general American public is currently swooning on Obama’s every move. Add to this the fact that Americans have had themselves represented on the world stage by a man who continued to butcher the English language as if it weren’t his native tongue, and Obama’s lyrical use of words becomes unquestionably a breath of fresh air. Click here to continue reading »”Obama’s Big Day – An Inauguration or a Coronation?”

I must admit that I find it a bit odd how much people are making a big deal of Colin Powell’s recent official endorsement for Barack Obama. True, they come from opposite sides of the political spectrum, but I think some thought needs to put into what Powell’s endorsement really indicates, not only about him but what I suspect includes many in the inner circles of the Republican party itself.

First of all, I find it pathetic that anyone is so ingrained in their political thinking that they can be so mindless as to just assume at the next election they will vote for a specific party. Granted, there are some issues which both sides have been known to historically support or fight against – abortion is a good example – and on those issues, it can be easy to see why some voters will automatically decide to vote for one party over another. However, there are times when our society faces more pressing issues that should obligate us to disregard such emotionally-charged issues in favour of assessing which party has the best platform or candidate to help our society overcome its current predicaments. But that takes a fair amount of rationalism and yes, intelligence on the part of the voter to understand what really is going to impact their lives and their family directly instead of focusing on issues that might bristle their own personal code of ethics or values.

From this perspective, Powell’s recent endorsement on the surface makes a lot of sense since Click here to continue reading »”Colin Powell’s Support For Barack Obama – An Inside Look at the Republican Party’s Real Plans”