Barack Obama- The New American Hero?

U.S Senator Barack Obama has become the new American Political Phenomenon. During his 2006 congressional election, he charmed the nation into believing that he is the perfect candidate for the 2008 presidential election. Just recently, the senator appeared in Oprah sharing his vision for the better future of America, he was calm, collected, funny and sincere- a true gentleman. Newsweek magazine calls Senator Obama "a political phenomenon unlike any previously seen on the American scene."



After reading much about the senator, I must say that his achiements in life is astounding, by 22 he graduated from Columbia University and by 30 he graduated from Harvard Law. Today, he just finished writing his second book, The Audacity of Hope, which ostensibly predicted to be the next international best seller. A proud Christian father of two, his image portray a true wholesome American family.

However, as impressed as I am with Obama, I can't help but wonder, are the Americans so desperate for a hero that they are looking to create a president out of a first term senator? a reader from Time Magazine (October 2006 issue) commented that ' I fear Obama would be this generation Jimmy carter, a man whose humility we appreciate and whose inexperience we're willing to overlook simply because we desire a change from the lies and arrogance of his immediate predecessors. The presidency is no place for on-the-job training'. I was jolted by this comment and for a split second I too, doubted the senator.

Having raised in Indonesia most of my life I have experienced first hand the impact of bad government. After the Suharto regime there have been many unrest and major economy slump. Since then, there have been strings of Indonesian presidents who tried to rise to the occasion. However, they have not been able to amend the nation. My point is, if the nation has lost its faith on one president, the next successor will have a bigger burden in terms of gaining the nation's trust.

Some say that, Bush Presidential campaign is a dissapointement. Eventhough, Senator Barack Obama has exuberant charisma and the capability to be the next American Hero but is he the right person at the wrong time?