During his presidential campaign Barack Obama mentioned his future pet plans, explaining his family wanted a dog.
The pet plans popped up again early in his presidency and during his first presidential press conference he explained his family’s dilemma.
“There are a number of breeds that are hypoallergenic. On the other hand, our preference would be to get a shelter dog. But obviously, a lot of shelter dogs are mutts like me.”
Before the Obamas made their choice, Senator Ted Kennedy helped make it for them by giving them a Portuguese water dog named Bo.
Being a mutt like Barack Obama and someone who adopts rescue dogs, I too wanted to see the first family adopt a mutt like me. In many ways, however, Kennedy giving Obama the Portuguese water dog, or PWD, proves far more significant. The gesture is chocked full of political metaphor.
Ted Kennedy and his niece endorsing Obama during the campaign suggests the Kennedy clan are finally willing to pass the the long-hidden scepter of Camelot to the Obama clan.
And why not?
In 1968 Robert Kennedy told Voice of America within 40 years a black man could be president. Not only an uncanny prediction in some ways an uncanny likeness to any of the Kennedy brothers - an avowed liberal, a progressive democratic who seems to command the respect of both the party old guard — despite being younger and less experienced than most presidents have been. Much like Bobby during the ‘68 campaign, Obama faced critics claiming lack of experience, hopeful rhetoric over actual substance and well-wrought policy statement; both wanted to bring stability to a nation bewildered by unchecked laissez-faire capitalism, a war many people believed was being fought to aid greedy corporations rather than needy populations and revolutionarily new attitudes towards race and sexuality.
Some pundits compare Barack taking up the reins of a nation harnessed to war to Lyndon Johnson moving into the presidency during the war in Viet Nam. If you look a closer at the escalation of the conflict in Viet Nam, however, hot off the heels of the conflict in Korea, Afghanistan and Pakistan better fit the situation in South Asia in the 1950s.
Iraq may resemble the difficulties Viet Nam presented, but really is something of a Bay of Pigs scenario. When Castro came to power, America still believed in an inalienable right to a Western Hemisphere hegemony. The original invasion and plan to overthrow Castro was conceived and approved by the Eisenhower administration. Much like the Bush administration seemed to believe in an inalienable right to hegemony in the Middle Eastern oil economies and planned the overthrow of Saddam Hussein.
So, much like John F. Kennedy, Obama walks into a recessionary country with two distinct wars to fight while having to keep an eye on a growling Russian bear and the PRC making the west nervous by supplying arms to the dictators we don’t like.
Giving the Obamas a small dog, not only represents a supportive welcome from an old-school democrat to a fellow liberal, but welcomes the family to take over a much more symbolic role. If the Kennedys can’t be in the White House, at least they have a small dog helping mind the place.
Maybe the the sounds of silence are finally being filled, if only by a small bark.
Radio 4 On the Ropes
Whither Andy Kershaw?
Radio 4 heavily promoted this week’s episode of “On the Ropes” featuring Andy Kershaw.
Despite frequent trailers almost up until the scheduled airing, Radio 4 pulled the program without a word of explanation Tuesday morning.
Later in the day Radio 4 controller Mark Damazer offered an explanation on the Radio 4 Blog - it was to protect the privacy of the people involved. The program was cleared with BBC lawyers but still pulled. I suspect there’s more story here and hope at some point we’ll hear more about the impetus for the decision.
I respect Andy Kershaw a great deal, even if not a fan per se. He fearlessly relates the world as he sees it, even at the risk hurling hard truths straight at the comfort zone of his fans.
My main reason for wanting to hear the program, however, is I’m a fan of stories of recovery from hard times. I admire the courage it takes to climb out of deep emotional holes and the willingness to recount the effort. Kershaw lost the proverbial “everything” including, for a time, his sanity but keeps trying.
I can only hope Radio 4 can iron out whatever issues prevented them airing the program. In the meantime I can only wish Kershaw well and hope makes a full recovery and pieces his life back together.
Tags: BBC, Commentary, Radio 4
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