Barack Obama said during this campaign — speaking of a notional US president — that he should be able to do more than one thing at a time, which is sound advice for any person.
As Americans today justly celebrate their sweet win over the country’s own racism they should at the same time see that they are now installing the world’s new killer in chief. Obama , on taking office, will inherit a state pre-programmed in ways that kill civilians, a vast, globe-spanning machine on autopilot, unconstrained by murder law.
As president, Obama will instantly become the world’s number one arms dealer, number one trainer of secret police, number one detonator of bombs, and number one sponsor of forces, US and foreign, that by objective definition do terrorism.
Obama can stop that. He can cry halt, order: ‘Stop civilian killings. Now.’
If he truly does, he’ll be a hero worthy of Dr. King, of the freedom giants he rode.
If not, he’ll become responsible for mass murders, and the first victims will likely fall sometime between today’s swearing-in and the last inaugural ball.
ALLAN NAIRN writes the blog News and Comment at www.newsc.blogspot.com.