2008 Woodie Awards
'08 campaign has historical potential
Haley Neddermann
Issue date: 1/24/08 Section: Opinion
Next year, George W. Bush will no longer be the president of the United States. This November, America will decide who will be his successor for the next four years.
The next president of the United States has the potential to make history. We could see the first black president or the first woman president. Perhaps the next president will revolutionize foreign policy and American engagement in global issues such as climate change and humanitarian crises. Above all else, the next president will need to be brave. Brave in making decisions that will bring about true 'change' to the American people and the global community.
The most frustrating aspect of this campaign thus far is the endless needling of the candidates by their fellow presidential hopefuls. Clinton can accuse Obama of flip-flopping and attack his integrity until she's blue in the face, but the particulars of an individual's record are less significant than their specific strategic plan for exiting Iraq, or how the cogs of a national healthcare system would turn most efficiently.
What this country needs is a strong leader who sticks to their convictions but is also willing to listen to other experts and admit they might be wrong. The United States can't survive another four or eight years with a president who is surrounded by sycophants. Executive power in recent years has gotten out of control as citizens' rights are pulled away from them, and America-as a country of freedom and liberty-has begun to stand for questionable things, such as torture of prisoners in Iraq, and ignorance towards the situation in Sudan.
Partly to blame is the mainstream media for portraying the presidential campaign as a horse race rather than a matter of extreme importance for the future of America as well as the entire planet. Ultimately, the next president of the United States needs to realize that they are not only the leader of America, but also a leader and a role model for how much of the world needs to act on certain issues, especially a cooperative effort as stringent as climate change.
The next president of the United States has the potential to make history. We could see the first black president or the first woman president. Perhaps the next president will revolutionize foreign policy and American engagement in global issues such as climate change and humanitarian crises. Above all else, the next president will need to be brave. Brave in making decisions that will bring about true 'change' to the American people and the global community.
The most frustrating aspect of this campaign thus far is the endless needling of the candidates by their fellow presidential hopefuls. Clinton can accuse Obama of flip-flopping and attack his integrity until she's blue in the face, but the particulars of an individual's record are less significant than their specific strategic plan for exiting Iraq, or how the cogs of a national healthcare system would turn most efficiently.
What this country needs is a strong leader who sticks to their convictions but is also willing to listen to other experts and admit they might be wrong. The United States can't survive another four or eight years with a president who is surrounded by sycophants. Executive power in recent years has gotten out of control as citizens' rights are pulled away from them, and America-as a country of freedom and liberty-has begun to stand for questionable things, such as torture of prisoners in Iraq, and ignorance towards the situation in Sudan.
Partly to blame is the mainstream media for portraying the presidential campaign as a horse race rather than a matter of extreme importance for the future of America as well as the entire planet. Ultimately, the next president of the United States needs to realize that they are not only the leader of America, but also a leader and a role model for how much of the world needs to act on certain issues, especially a cooperative effort as stringent as climate change.
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