“Bizarre” is how NBC’s Brian Williams described Obama’s life story, the other day. This follows on the heels of Cokie Robert’s calling Hawaii some “foreign, exotic place.” And then there’s the whole father-from-another-country thing.
I am, at best, a cautious supporter of Barack Obama. Of course, it should go without saying that I find him almost infinitely preferable to the alternatives. It’s just that I don’t believe the hype, and that I am old enough to know that every of of them will disappoint you, in the end. And as great as I think Obama may be, he deserves a lot of criticism, on the merits.
That said, I am surprised by my deeply personal and visceral reactions to those that attack Obama’s status as an American. He and I share a lot. Our “foreign” fathers married midwestern American mothers, we’ve lived all over the world, and neither one of us desperately need to present America as the savior to the world’s problems. Oh, and we also shared that Hawaiian experience. This is my world, growing up:
What a foreign bunch, eh? No matter what, there are going to be more like me and Obama than there are those like John McCain and Mark Penn. We.will.win.
Karen
You know, I’ve been trying to figure out which of these kids is you, and I’m stumped. Best guess: front row, red ruffle dress?
MB
I still have it.
~
Top row, second from right. Hiding my missing front tooth, it seems.