After the ball

At our last Thursday meeting, Charles was remarking how if you look at the legions of young people who flock to Obama, what is remarkable are the faces that look as if this man is the last best hope for mankind (not his exact words, I hope i get the gist of the observation right, Charles): in our age when nihilism and relativism is preached in the classrooms, it's almost as if young people have gotten to the point where nothing good in the world can be believed, but Obama.

This led to a discussion of the likelihood of suicide rates going up in the Obama era as young people see their faith in The One come to terms with a human reality in which the Messiah has not yet returned to earth and we remain stuck with all the usual folly, and maybe worse.

McCain may still win, for all I know, and we can look forward, among other things, to Bush Derangement Syndrome taken to the nth degree.

The optimistic necessity about an Obama presidency is that given the current economic climate, and the nuclear proliferation in the Middle East, it is very likely to be a time of crisis and crisis spells opportunity for those who really know something of the need for new directions.

One new direction, it seemed to me at our discussion, is for someone who can effectively preach to young people, after Obama, the nature of real hope and change. Maybe Thomas Sowell is our man, for he sees right through the vanities of the young person:

Barack Obama has the kind of cocksure confidence that can only be achieved by not achieving anything else.

Anyone who has actually had to take responsibility for consequences by running any kind of enterprise-- whether economic or academic, or even just managing a sports team-- is likely at some point to be chastened by either the setbacks brought on by his own mistakes or by seeing his successes followed by negative consequences that he never anticipated.

The kind of self-righteous self-confidence that has become Obama's trademark is usually found in sophomores in Ivy League colleges-- very bright and articulate students, utterly untempered by experience in real world.

The signs of Barack Obama's self-centered immaturity are painfully obvious, though ignored by true believers who have poured their hopes into him, and by the media who just want the symbolism and the ideology that Obama represents.

The triumphal tour of world capitals and photo-op meetings with world leaders by someone who, after all, was still merely a candidate, is just one sign of this self-centered immaturity.

One of my insights into the eternal student was when he visited Iraq. Visiting with the Prime Minister of that country, the two men entered a hall of reporters for a photo op. As is the norm, there were two chairs for the men to sit in and put on a show of discussion. It was the mere visiting Senator from Illinois who made the ritual gesture of inviting the leader of Iraq to have a seat. A cocksure sign, but not exactly a sign of confidence in the guy who will be left holding the bag if Obama rushes too quickly to pull the troops out.