The Soul-less World of Politics

It seems as if politicians these days have no integrity, no soul. The political pandering to interest groups never gets old, and promises of government transparencies are being found hard to keep. Voters are regarded as fools for believing messages of change, while elected officials on both sides of the aisle keep posturing to do whatever they can to keep their seats in the Senate and the House.

One GOP senator jumps ship, citing ideological differences with the more conservative elements of the Republican Party. But in a state that is increasingly becoming more Democratic, was it just mere coincidence that Senator Arlen Specter switched affiliation to the Democratic Party with his re-election season coming up?

The man who said that we can, and promised a new wave of transparency in the government, has recently upset his friends to the left when he decided this week to prevent the release of photos from Abu Ghraib. What happened to transparency, Mr. President? Keeping electoral promises isn't so easy now, is it? And now today, the White House confirmed that the US would continue to employ former President Bush's controversial military commission to prosecute detainees in Gitmo. That sure does look like change to me. Yes, we can.

And then there is the first madam speaker of the House of Representative from California. Nancy Pelosi, the vocal critic of the Bush administration, finds herself in a bit of a sticky situation. The madam speaker is adored by those on the left for her outspoken objection to the use of torture during the Bush administration. I sincerely applaud her stance on that. But you see, Ms. Pelosi forgot to mention that in 2003, she, along with other House Intelligence Committee members, were briefed by the CIA on its interrogation methods during the war on terror. Today, she disputed CIA records that listed 40 briefs that the committee received from the intelligence agency in which members of the committee were allegedly told the use of waterboarding during interrogation. A record of 40 briefings in which she was told that the CIA was torturing detainees in 2003, and she waits until 2007 to formally decry the CIA's methods of interrogation. Does Ms. Pelosi really think we're idiotic enough to actually believe her?

So in conclusion, politics is a soul-less world, void of any meaningful convictions and integrity. Flip-flopping around is the norm, and doing anything politically expedient is to be expected. But hey, at least in America, people like me who publicly criticize officials expect to live after wielding such criticisms unlike in other countries. I have that to be thankful for, right?

read more here and here and here and here.

Yes We Can

January 20, 2009: the day the United States of America inaugurated its first minority president in its history. While I disagree with some major philosophical/political ideologies, I recognize the significance of this moment. So I decided that given the fact that I'm a hop, skip, and a walk away from downtown Washington D.C., I would be part of history in the making by joining with millions of other Americans in celebrating the new dawn when the office of the presidency is not an exclusively Caucasian office. Despite the impassable crowds, the frigid temperature, and the minor inconveniences and annoyances, I am glad I ventured out into the crowd to witness this momentous occasion.

A quick side note, it is indeed amazing how the son of a Kenyan immigrant who was virtually an unknown junior senatorial candidate from Illinois in 2004 came to hold the ultimate office of leadership in the country. Only in a country like the United States can that even be considered a possibility. It speaks volumes of the maturity of our democratic process in an age when many "democracies" still resort to violence and policies of exclusion to direct their domestic policies. I am proud to be an American citizen. I am even prouder to be a Korean-American. I wonder if it will at all be a possibility of seeing an Asian-American ascend to the highest office of this land. For all intents and purposes, what Pres. Obama has achieved is a milestone for all minority groups, but we have not yet arrived.

Back to the inauguration. Pastor Rick Warren's opening invocation was powerful. I know that liberal and secular commentaries are saying how overly Christian the prayer was, but the dude is a Christian evangelical pastor. What were they expecting from him? But from my vantage point, where I was standing (near the Washington Monument which is about a mile away from where it all happened), his prayer was indeed powerful. Echoes of "amen" and "hallelujah" were heard from around, while tears flowed in the eyes of some other believers. I, too, was moved by the content of his prayer. I especially liked when he prayed, "When we focus on ourselves, when we fight each other, when we forget you—forgive us. When we presume that our greatness and our prosperity is ours alone—forgive us. When we fail to treat our fellow human beings and all the earth with the respect that they deserve—forgive us." Powerful.

Like some other commentaries and analysis I've read and heard, I did not think the inauguration address was all that impressive. Don't misunderstand me. It was a fine piece of writing delivered in typical Obama-style brilliance. But the content in it of itself seemed a little less memorable than previous addresses like the JFKs and the Lincolns and the Reagans. Perhaps Obama's 2004 DNC speech and many of his subsequent speeches have spoiled me to the point where I expect his next speech to top his previous.

I have so many thoughts from the inauguration. Perhaps I shall share them on a post later on. But for now, I leave you with words from his inaugural address that I liked and a few pictures I took. More pictures can be found on my flickr site.

"What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility -- a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation and the world; duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task. This is the price and the promise of citizenship. This is the source of our confidence -- the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny."

"America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested, we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back, nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations."

Change is Coming

So I voted for the other guy. I'll get that off my chest right away. It was a hard fought election, a campaign in which we saw messages of hope mixed with sleeze. But in the end, the American people have spoken, and the country blazes a new path in its history.

I respect President-elect Barack Obama. His quick ascendency to national prominence is something to admire. But that he is the nation's first African-American President-to-be is something special. Despite the fundamental differences I have with his ideology, I am proud to see a minority be elected to the country's highest position. The jury will be out on how effective his four years will be in guiding this country through two wars, a global financial crisis, a fractured domestic political spectrum, and many other issues. But history has been made, and we'll see what the future holds in store for this country.

This election has been the outright rejection of the brand of politics that has been in power for the past two presidents. The spike in interest in the political affairs of this nation is a criticism of the divisive rancor wielded by Bush and co. And I'm glad for the shift. We are no better off as a people and a nation than eight years ago. The domestic partisanship is as extreme, if not more, than eight years ago. We are in one unpopular war in Iraq that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of young men and women for a cause that was fabricated. We are in another war understaffed and facing many challenges and insurgency movements that seem resilient in their ways. And we are in the most serious economic crisis since the Great Depression and policymakers are throwing everything at the problem hoping something sticks and begins to work.

It is fitting that John McCain lost in a landslide and Republicans in the Senate and House lost ground. It was hard to watch McCain deliver his classy concession speech. Many question where the John McCain of last night had been throughout the campaign when Americans were looking for answers instead of attacks. That was the real John McCain that I had learned to respect. The real McCain that stood for principles, that worked across party lines to work for America. But in the end, the John McCain of the past several months has been the John McCain that Barack Obama wanted to portray, the McCain of the right wing George W. Bush brand of the Republican Party. I'm not going to say that that is why he lost the election. But when he reached to the far right wing of the social conservative base and picked an unknown, inexperienced Alaskan governor who had only been in power for two whole years as his Vice Presidential nominee, he lost the moderate and independent vote.

It is time for a change. As a moderate Republican, I am fed up with a brand of politics that demonizes the other side, writes fear-mongering letters to sway electorates, and does anything and everything to keep power. Where is the integrity and morality, the willingness to work together for the good of the people, the leading by example, the call to serve the public good, the small government and empowerment of the people? Where is the Ronald Reagans and the Abraham Lincolns of the Grand Old Party these days? I'm tired of Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. I'm tired of Donald Rumseld and Paul Wolfowitz. I'm tired of Sarah Palin and Bill O'Reilly. It's time for change.