Is Barack Obama going to be the shining ray of light that America needs after 8yrs of George Bush rule?

Or will it just be business as usual in the land of the free?


America is still active in two conflicts, in the midst of the worst economic crisis in nearly 80yrs and on teetering of the brink of a mass business related collapse. Admittedly, switching from a Republican to a Democrat government at this time is a good start, but how exactly will having a young, vibrant president who speaks to a different socio economic cross section of the country change the way things are run?

Apparently all the Guantamo residents are going to claim political asylum in Britain!

1-0 to Obama!

don't believe the hype, I found evidence that the BNP are starting rumours like this through a black press team - they start things like the "red arrows banned from london olympics" to sway public opinion - don't fall for it

I read that in the Observer, it's probably bollocks anyway though, although we are probably the only country in the world that would send someone to be tortured for information then give them a house and free money and health care the week after!

Yeah i thinkso.

Surely a white press team?

If he stands by his speech, this will be a great 4 years for America

He seems like a guy who will apply the comman sence ethic to issues that the majority of us have views on and hopefully it will have a ripple effect with the rest of the world and the goverments that are as corrupt as the terrorist they try to turn us against and the lives they send to be slaugtered in their bogus wars......sorry for rant,dont do politics but people also need to realise that this guy wasnt born i a stable as he said, and i hope he is not gonna just end up being a puppet for the powers that be....

No, in order to meet the electorate's high expectations, Obama will be forced to print and spend money, leading to inflation and the collapse of the economy.

I don't think the American Government are that stupid that they are going to try and ride out the economic crisis by promoting hyper-inflation of the dollar. I just think that Obama has made a lot of promises he is going to struggle to deliver on, closing Guantanomo is an easy way to get the liberals on side, but we'll see what he's made of when the tough decisions need to be made. His whole speech yesterday was basically saying "Don't expect too much too soon" he knows he has raised expectation through his promises and is now shitting himself that he won't be able to deliver them and everyone will think he is another Tony Blair.

I think he's alright but this IS exactly what will happen.

(Putting a few quid on Martin's option might be a good gamble though!)

I didn't think the speech was all tbh.



There was no definite soundbite in it IMO - which is weird given how the media these days is digitalised and compressed down into 30sec chunks. No big quote to lead.

It had lots of sound bites, however you're right, there was no outstanding quote throughout the thing. his speech will be forgotten an he's clearly planned/hoped for the message to prevail. i suspect he'll go for the memorable/historical quote next time.

Seems like a missed opportunity though - would've been THE springboard for such a quote

Esp. what with the historical significance, and the proximity to MLK day

Perhaps he had writers block and couldn't come up with anything worthwhile?

just listening to it now... getting surprisingly emotional!!



wish he would say "leisure" properly though ;o)

Unlikely


From the second he got the democract nomination he would've been planning his speech

i wasn't being overly serious with that last comment

I thought the media would of latched onto: "Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America."

as the central soundbite although I agree with the above and think he wanted the whole thing to be remembered and not reduced to a sound bite

Fair enough; I held back from making a comment about hiring Jewish writers myself