Western Courier

Issue date: 2/19/07 Section: Opinion

Americans may also react to Obama's success with attempts to squelch dissent against his actions, just as they often did during the early years of the Bush administration. Americans as a whole supported the Iraq war originally, but those who did not believe in its principles were often labeled as un-American. While it's unlikely that Obama himself would encourage this kind of behavior, a large herd of supporters thinking only with their emotions might be willing to chastise the minority that disagrees with them. Rational thinking about Obama's decisions might be able to diminish that tendency.

Looking up to Obama as the one and only leader of our collapsing country may cause another problem: a lack of recognition for Congress and diminished public political involvement. If America puts all of its burdens on Obama's shoulders, Congress and the general public may feel that their help is either pointless or unnecessary. Without the help of Congress, Obama would not have the funding or brainpower to take action to improve our country. Any attempts to better the government would be in vain if we de-emphasized congressional and public involvement to the extent that they were extraneous. Putting Obama's abilities in perspective will allow us to keep the balanced system that is the cornerstone of our democracy.

Obama will probably be the next president of the United States, and he will most likely be a very competent leader. We must be careful to remember, however, that no president can save the country by himself. If we recognize that, like any other person, Obama has strengths and weaknesses, we can avoid the kind of irrational thinking that has plagued us in the past and move toward a more reasonable government for the future.

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