American Presidents and One Thousand Miles

14th Best President...so far

When I woke up at 5am, I decided to get up and check the American Presidential election result. I switched on just as the news agencies call for Obama passed the magical 270 mark. It was a relief, like most Europeans I have been concerned about the outcome of the Presidential elections. The optimism following the end of George. W. Bush's (Dubya) second term in office was infectious. This time we have watched two candidates spend the GDP of a medium-sized African nation mainly in trying to destroy their opponent. The American Dream that had inveigled our lives had been savaged by Dubya and further destroyed by the Tea Party and GOP's lurch to the extreme right. Best summed up in this authentic Dubya quote:

"Our enemies are innovative and resourceful, and so are we. They never stop thinking about new ways to harm our country and our people, and neither do we."

Romney's concession speech was gracious, he wished Obama and his family well and called for all the American people to work together. Obama took time to prepare his response and then gave his supporters and the watching world 25 minutes of rising rhetoric. Starting with an ode to Michelle, whom he claimed everyone loves and including a positive response to Romney's proposal to work together. Although the event did not have the epoch-making significance of 2008 it appeared, as if unleashed from having to consider how to achieve another term, that Obama was determined to tackle some of the wicked domestic and world issues. He even mentioned the devastation of global warming, the first time I had heard this recognised during the time and money-wasting months of the campaign.

He would be wise to stick to his promise to focus on rescuing the fragile economy. I have lived through twelve presidents and their legacies are often not worth more than a hill of beans.

• Truman ended the Second World War with atomic bombs but helped create the United Nations and gave us the Marshall Plan
• Eisenhower stopped France and Britain from behaving badly over Suez and put an end to McCarthyism
• Kennedy gave us the Cuban missile crisis
• Johnson prolonged the Vietnam War but started the journey toward equal rights
• Nixon was tricky and impeached
• Ford was not Nixon and could not chew gum and walk at the same time
• Carter was honest but damaged by the Iran hostages and a collapsing economy
• Reagan reduced taxes, introduced Star Wars and ended the Cold War although this legacy was mainly down to Gorbachev
• George Bush gave us the first Iraq war and the economy collapsed
• Clinton said it was the economy but was then diverted by interns
• Dubya gave us the second Iraq war and engendered disbelief in the American Dream
• and so far Obama has given Americans universal healthcare and shot Bin Laden

It is not a peaceful list of achievements and no President has allowed the United Nations to play its full part in peacekeeping either. They have used the World Bank and IMF to extend 'freedom' but really to allow American companies to invade many emerging countries in Central and South America, Africa and Asia to reduce budget deficits by outsourcing many public services. And yet as the exit polls showed yesterday, 60% of voters think the economy is the top issue, followed by healthcare. Only 4% now believe that foreign policy is the top issue. Since FDR Presidents seem to have swallowed the American Dream whole, Obama should perhaps take on the  challenge of Don DeLillo's observation in Americana that:

“It is so much simpler to bury reality than it is to dispose of dreams” 

After watching the results I decided to go for an early morning run in the steady drizzle. For the first time in months, I took the iPod with a playlist of running tunes. I passed the 1000 miles for the year during the run, the first time since 1994, and I was elated. It also may have been the drizzle, the iPod or the relief at the election result but I reached the 3-mile point a minute ahead of my PB and, by the top of the hill at 4 miles, I was 2 minutes ahead. I was on fire.

The iPod was on shuffle and by coincidence on came Bruce Springsteen.  Maybe it was because I had seen him with Obama the day before, but 'I'm on Fire' sounded like an abridged pastiche of Obama's victory speech as he emerged sweating and relieved from the stress of the election.

'At night I wake up with the sheets soaking wet
And a freight train running through the
Middle of my head
Only you can cool my desire
I'm on fire
whoohoo I'm on fire.'

He's on Fire

Well, Mr President let's hope if you are on fire that this benefits the whole world and not just Michelle.  In the Historical rankings of Presidents of the United States, based upon the opinions of political scientists and academics,  President Obama currently lies 14th equal, the highest placing of any President since John F. Kennedy. He now has 52 months to make a difference and resurrect a nation in turmoil. Those ahead of him are:

1.  Abraham Lincoln           1861 - 1865
2.  Franklin D. Roosevelt    1933 - 1945
3.  George Washington       1789 - 1797
4.  Thomas Jefferson          1801 - 1809
5.  Theodore Roosevelt      1901 - 1909
6.  Woodrow Wilson           1913 - 1921
7.  Harry Truman                 1945 - 1953
8= Dwight D. Eisenhower    1953 - 1961
8= Andrew Jackson             1829 - 1837
10. James K. Polk                1845 - 1849
11. John F. Kennedy            1961 - 1963
12. John Adams                    1797 - 1801
13. James Madison               1809 - 1817
14= Barack Obama                2009 -

If he makes the top ten even Republicans may believe he was born in the USA.  On current evidence, it is certainly difficult to see the Republicans ever regaining the progressive policies of Theodore Roosevelt.