Robert L. Terrell

Given his youth and relative inexperience, it is not surprising that Senator Barack Obama is a work in progress. This is a significant source of his infectious appeal to many U.S. citizens, and the impressive number of foreigners who are following the current U.S. presidential contest with the same level of excitement and incredulity as the rest of us. My key point here is that Senator Obama’s youth and inexperience are sources of strength and weakness.

For example, because he is new and relatively unknown outside Illinois until recently, the Senator’s supporters routinely fill-in-the-blanks regarding what they think he stands for, supports or opposes. Thus, it is not uncommon to encounter Obama supporters who discuss him in an almost messianic fashion. Such folks appear to be convinced that, through the force of personality, and the clever deployment of charm and charisma, Obama is destined to right all that is wrong with the U.S.—and much of the rest of the known world. Projections of this sort, based as they are on vague hunches and unrestricted trust, may eventually produce consequences that haunt Senator Obama and the rest of us.

On the other hand, the Senator’s relatively spare track record makes it relatively easy for those who oppose him to present negative, and highly offensive statements and charges against him, which are obviously intended to influence the thinking of those who are uninformed—or in search of convenient reasons to support the tradition of elite white male hegemony in the White House. The persistent allegations that Senator Obama is a closet-Muslim are representative of the kinds of mean-spirited slurs his opponents are intent on surreptitiously distributing among the ignorant with increasing frequency as the presidential campaign enters its final phase.

I assume that most of the baseless fantasies and scurrilous allegations being launched at the Senator will sort themselves out by election day. But the possibility exists that they will not, largely because they are rooted in the Senator’s youth and inexperience. In any event, I want to cite Senator Obama’s recent commentary regarding African Americans, and his thoughts on the proper role of the U.S. regarding foreign affairs, in order to highlight some of the dangers inherent in his inexperience.

However much he denies the fact, Senator Obama is using the bully pulpit provided him by virtue of his position as the Democratic Party’s presumptive nominee for the presidency, to publicly berate African Americans in ways that are hurtful, condescending, ignorant and somewhat cowardly. I am specifically addressing comments he made in his recent Father’s Day address, during which he castigated African American males for their alleged shortcomings as husbands and fathers.

I am also addressing similar comments he is expected to make during a featured address at the Annual convention of the NAACP tomorrow regarding the alleged tendency of African Americans to shirk personal responsibility, and blame society for their problems. Taken together, the Senator’s comments indicate that he is willing to play the so-called “race card” in ways which placate racist white Americans in order to win their support. This may prove to be a successful short-term strategy, and it may help Senator Obama get elected president. But in the long run, it is probably going to prove destructive to Senator Obama and the country as a whole.

In any event, the racist nature of his “tough love” attacks on African Americans (males in particular) become apparent when we consider what the Senator has not said about whites who engage in personal and socially irresponsible behavior. He obviously could have used his Father’s Day address to castigate and berate such whites. But he didn’t, and he doesn’t intend to. His primary objective with his niggers-need-to-shape-up commentaries is sending a not so subtle message to white America that if elected he is prepared to be hard on colored people. Nonetheless, it is improbable that he will be able to govern effectively if elected without support from the same niggers he is throwing “under the bus” during this phase of his unprecedented presidential campaign. I want to believe that an older, wiser Barack Obama would understand this indisputable fact.

Regarding Foreign Affairs, Senator Obama has set forth an agenda that is far less committed to change than to maintaining the U.S. Empire via military hegemony. Excluding his specific disagreement with the Bush administration regarding the War Against Iraq, most of Senator Obama’s positions regarding foreign affairs are depressingly similar to those of the current residents of the White House. In other words, the most important difference between Brack Obama and George W. Bush is that the Senator apparently believes he can accomplish his goals and objectives via the use of intelligence and charm instead of threats, torture and brute force.

The major article Senator Obama had printed in Foreign Affairs magazine last July/August is discouraging. More than anything, it exposes the fact that he is a Liberal Hawk regarding the projection of U.S. power abroad. I am particularly disturbed by his bellicosity. He seems not to understand that U.S. military hegemony is a problem for the United States, and much of the rest of the world. Moreover, there is little or no indication in the article that he is thinking about dismantling any significant component of the sprawling U.S. Empire, including the hundreds of military bases aggressively deployed around the world

Despite the extremely important shortcomings addressed in this post, Senator Obama is far better suited to replace George W. Bush in the Oval Office than terminally hapless John McCain. Nonetheless, the point everyone concerned needs to understand is that Senator Barack Obama is a work in progress. As such, he is going to need a tremendous amount of support, counseling and constructive criticism in order to succeed if he defeats John McCain in the upcoming election.

If he has an open-mind and willingness to learn, his election will present the United States with a marvelous opportunity to implement sorely needed reforms in its domestic and international policies. If he is not open-minded and willing to learning, one of the most magnificent opportunities to fundamentally improve this nation, and its global posture, will be wasted by his election.

Mindful of the danger ahead, I am hoping for the best.