| In Transit Ramblings of a Prodigal Singaporean |
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The new Whitehouse.gov website is amazing! Talk about new media galore! Blog, videos, slideshows, etc etc. And even a Director of New Media! Obama really is the poster child of the New Media Movement.
Oh and note the language and writing style they use. Very personal and easy to read. Not those pompous words. (Singapore Government can learn a lot).
Of all my criticisms of George W. Bush, I do have to be fair. He was president during a very very very hard and testing time. If Clinton or Obama were president when 9/11 happened, would they be so popular? It is easy to stand at the side pointing fingers, but when thrown into situations like these, would they have done the same? No one knows.
It is important to note that not since the Great Depression and the American Civil War has a US president had so many crashing challenges and problems to deal with in their terms.
It is also important to separate the disagreement with the policies and things he’s done as President with the human being whom he is. As evident from this article, he knows he’s not well-liked. I bet he knew it would happen when he made those critical decisions early on in the wars. But he did it anyway. At least he had the guts to do something he believed was right, even knowing how others would use it to hang him out to dry. That’s more than I can say for politicians who make crowd-pleasing decisions to stay as a favourite.
Overall, I believe Bush did the best he could and knew how. He’s not perfect. Sometimes I think that people expect the President, or any leader for that matter, to be perfect. Any mistake they make is dissected, put under a microscope and criticised till death. We forget, no one is perfect. They are still human and I can guarantee you, they will make mistakes … and lots of them.
And now coming towards the end of Bush’s turbulent and highly stressful 8 years in office, I bet all he wants to do is to have an uninterrupted good night’s sleep.
*Note before you read: This are my thoughts, questions, etc. No way are they meant to be offensive or an attack on others.
As I’ve been reading people’s reactions to Obama’s win, I’ve been intrigued by many of the sentiments. Some are irrational, some more emotional, some illogical and some perfectly valid.
Of interest to me the most has been the reactions of some fellow believers. Most are shocked that Obama won and horrified that other Christians would vote for Obama.
One friend of mine messaged me, “I can’t believe those Christians would vote for a Democrat.”
Another friend went further to say, “True Christians would vote Republican. The rest must be poor or weak Christians.”
The first thought that came to my mind was, “I don’t believe it says that in the Bible.”
After more questioning as to why they came to that conclusion, it seems the top reasons are because Democrats allow abortions and gay rights. Republicans object to them. Therefore as Christians we cannot support Democrats.
Here’s my thoughts. Yes, as believers who study the Word, we know that abortion for the sake of convenience or because it was a “mistake” and homosexuality is sinful. This doesn’t mean the person who is committing these acts are horrible people. It just means they are sinners, just like us.
But there are also many other core Christian beliefs and “sins” that are important to consider too. Poverty is one of them. When the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, there’s something wrong there. Human Brutality is another. And hypocrisy? Saying one thing than doing another? (that’s lying to me). In past “Christian” administrations, this has been a major problem, resulting in other countries and their citizens looking down on Christians and thinking Christianity is nonsense.
What then is the criteria for deciding which sin is worst than the other? From my understanding and study, the Lord doesn’t have a ranking system of which sin is worst. All sin is sin. No higher or lower ranking ones. All sin needs to be looked at equally. All sinners still need the Lord’s salvation, regardless of how ‘big’ or ’small’ the sin seems to be.
Also, personally, I’ve never believed that faith and politics should ever mix, and I see this from Jesus’ example. He never mixed with politics (unless he was rebuking them or being hauled up) but instead lived His earthly life free from any political strings.
While we make decisions based on our faith because it is our foundation, we also have to be clear that this is politics. The ‘best’ Christian is not necessarily a good president and leader. In fact, it is usually those who do not try to promote their faith that gain more respect from others and turn out a better leader. We must also remember, US is not a Christian nation (as many would like to believe). It is secular. So, to demand that the leader be a ‘good’ Christian can do more damage than help in the long run.
Ok, I’m being longwinded. I just wanted to put my thoughts down and also share them as a differing point of view. I don’t expect them to change your mind, esp if it’s set already. Just some food for thought. 
Colin Powell said that the next US president has the enormous task of rebuilding US’ standing and reputation in the world. I agree. So who does the world think can do that?
As of the time of this post
*Disclaimer: The following post is from my personal experience, observations and direct contact with all countries and cultures mentioned. This will also be my last US political post for a while.
The US election has been churning around in my head for the last few weeks, mainly after hearing the Presidential and VP candidate’s speeches at the DNC and RNC on youtube (I wasn’t willing to stay up till 3am to hear it live.) This has caused many thoughts and observations from me. Now, I have to say this first, I have many great American friends and I do like America (just not the current government). But not being an American has allowed me to see pass the intense patriotism (which is good, also can be bad sometimes) and put the current situation in context.
As a citizen of the world, I’ve seen the damage that the current US administration has done not only internally, but internationally. While Bill Clinton wasn’t a very moral man, he was a good politician and economist. He built strong relationships with other countries, he showed us respect, he listened. He cut the US debt by a huge margin and the US economy blossomed.
Than came Bush. And everything Clinton did was blown to the sky over the last 8 years. To say that America has lost its standing in the world is a major understatement. America is no more the economic and political giant and power that it once was. Countries “show face” and pretend to listen to an US official speaking… than they just chuck the “advice” in a corner and go on their merry way.
To me, that’s very sad. I actually would rather have US as a superpower than China (which seems to be the only viable option right now). As a superpower, Americans are compassionate, and are willing to help others. If atrocities get brought up in the public eye, they are willing to do all it takes to resolve it.
Many Chinese from China, on the other hand, have become selfish, money-minded and will do all it takes to obtain wealth. Most have lost the traditional morals and values, and failed to pick up any others. This has created a lost of integrity, morality and ethics. (One good point though is that they are very hardworking because they want to earn as much as possible.)
Now as a superpower, I would obviously rather have the US. But the sad truth is this, as much as promises are made on the political trail and the fervent hopes of many, the USA will probably never once again go back to the height of its glory days. Yes, things may improve (I do hope they will), but the past glory is just that.. the past. I’ve always encouraged my friends from college to look beyond the US, because it’s no more enough to just stay in the country and not care about the world outside. The opportunities in the US are decreasing rapidly while there are vast opportunities in the world. The willingness to step out of one’s boundaries and one’s culture and explore the globe is such a precious thing and is increasingly becoming a necessary thing to survive and truly grow.
I guess by saying all these, a few readers and friends will probably get angry. And that’s okay. I admire their belief in and love for their country. But please take this as the honest truth from someone looking in, someone who has had to see the consequences of US foreign policy firsthand. The main reason why I’m willing to take this chance of offending someone (and a lot of my readers are from the US, so it is scary) is because I do have great friends from the US. And being open and honest about the current reality is my way of helping to put things in context, to open their minds past what the US media and politicians say.
This is my last US political post, at least until the election is over and probably even not after that. Offending anyone is never my intention with these posts, and as it’s a sensitive issue to many, and since I’m not a US citizen and should just shut my mouth, I decided to finally zip it on this topic. 
For those who thought that Obama vs. Clinton was bad, it’s going to get worst, much worst. Obama vs. McCain is going to be brutal, yet entertaining! I’ve always said, if you want free entertainment, watch US politics. I mean, have you seen the ads they run? They insult and bash up each other verbally, than they shake hands when they meet!! It’s funny seeing a potential leader being demeaned and their people actually allowing it. No wonder they don’t respect their leaders. How can they?
The race war has already begun and both haven’t even OFFICIALLY been appointed by their parties. hahaha! These are what will be argued over, either from them directly or through their people (where they can blame their people if there’s a backlash).
1. US economy
(Becoz it stinks)
2. Iraq War
(Becoz McCain wants to stay in there, Obama wants to redraw)
3. Tax
(Becoz that’s what they say every election)
4. Obama’s middle name, Hussein.
(Because you know, everyone named Hussein is an evil terrorist)
5. How McCain is like Bush
(Becoz all Republicans are Bush-clones, didn’t you know?)
6. How Obama doesn’t have experience on foreign policy
(As if actually having lived outside the country and knowing what it’s like in other cultures is worst than thinking that one knows about the world)
7. The American Dream
(Because the dream is still alive! It has to be!)
Anyhoo, I’m a avid follower of the elections, even more so than my American friends, because you know, it’s entertaining and my life is boring right now. So expect more commentaries on the idioscransies, hypocrisies and back-pedalling of the race.
