Saturday, February 02, 2008 Libre: US, Europe in search of leaders By Mel Libre Seriously Now
THE United States and the European Union are in search of leaders who will take on the challenges that should bring prosperity to their citizens as well as impact on the lives of people in other parts of the world.
US President George W. Bush has become as unpopular as the war he initiated in Iraq. Nobody can salvage his presidency of lies, cockiness and incompetence. When Bill Clinton left the White House, the US had a strong economy and stood respectably in the global community.
Bush threw his weight around after 9/11 by occupying Iraq and agitating for war with North Korea and Iran. The hole that he has dug up in Iraq has become so deep that the only way out is by letting the next president clean up the mess he had created.
There is truth to the adage, “When it rains, it pours,” for even at home the US economy is taking a dive, with nations doubting the strength of the US dollar. It is certain that whoever is the Republican candidate for president---John McCain being the most probable---will be dragged down by Bush’s lack of popularity.
While Sen. Barrack Obama is giving Sen. Hillary Clinton a good fight as presidential candidate for Democrats, it is likely that the latter will get the party’s nomination because of her competence as legislator, her being articulate as speaker and her skill as a campaigner.
Clinton is popular. Add to that a husband who remains to be a high profile speaker and respectable statesman. While the Clintons may have flaws in both their personal and political life, I am sure the American people feel more confident in their ability to bring back the US to the level of respectability.
Across the Atlantic, the European Union has galvanized the economies of its 27 member-nations, earning the euro prestige to overtake the weakened US dollar as preferred international currency. What can further boost the EU is a major change in its leadership, from the current rotation mode to one that will have a President.
Already the jockeying for the position has started. French President Nicolas Sarkozy and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown have openly endorsed Tony Blair, former British Prime Minister, for the position. Potential rivals include Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen of Denmark, Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker of Luxembourg and former Polish president Aleksander Kwasniewski.
Blair as EU president can instantly put the EU in the political consciousness of leaders of nations considering his finesse and charisma. If it can be considered a factor, Blair’s conversion to Catholicism may please continental Europe. The only setback for him is his association with Bush. But then Blair has distanced himself from Bush, whose rhetoric on Iraq has not changed.
On Jan. 20, 2009, the US will possibly be inaugurating its first woman president: Hillary Rodham Clinton. For its part, the EU may likely designate Tony Blair as president, also in January 2009.
Knowing Blair’s friendship with the Clintons, the relationship between the US and the EU will warm up to the advantage of both politically but more importantly in the matter of trade. There are many issues that need to be addressed: from trade liberalization to global climate change, from immigration to the war in the Middle East, and from poverty to Aids.
These are exciting times, indeed, but then let these leaders focus on campaigning for the moment. First things first.
