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I have been watching the events of the latest United
States (US) primary elections with great interest.
This is partly because of my love of politics and
also because I know that whoever makes it into the
Office of the President will eventually affect what
is going on here, given the increase in vested US
interest in Ethiopia since the inception of the War
on Terror.
Of course, there is more than a lot of time to go
until we reach the general presidential elections,
but following the process gives one a general idea
of what the country wants for itself for the next
four years.
When the primaries began, a couple of months ago, I
was footed quite squarely in the Hillary Clinton
camp. It was enamouring to think that a woman would
be able to hold the seat of the most powerful office
in the world. From the perspective of one who has
similar political ambitions, it was great to see
that even the biggest monster has a woman to brave
it.
There was always the underlying fear of Barak Obama,
if America was ready for a woman to lead, then it
certainly was ready for an African-American in
office as well. Either candidate works if it is the
warm fuzzy feeling that you are looking for.
But Clinton was not only a competent politician and
great lawyer in her own right, but also had Bill
behind her which meant that domestic issues, which
are a huge issue this campaign season would be
receiving the attention that it had sorely been
lacking in the Bush administration. Case and point
is the recession that America is entering into with
record breaking speed. In her own words ‘Just like
it took one Clinton to clean-up after the first
Bush, it may take another to clean-up after this
one”.
But this sentiment did not last long. When it came
time to win minority voters, both senators began
throwing mud and playing dirty. Although both know
what is at stake, there is no excuse for them to set
a negative campaign example for future leaders of
the country that will be trying to break the mould.
I was disgusted and appalled that they would stoop
to such levels. It would have been naïve of me to
think that something of that nature was not bound to
happen in the race, but I thought it would be
between parties and mostly on the Republican side.
Given the fact that the Democratic candidates have
lost their lustre, I began taking a closer look at
what the Grand Old Party (GOP) had to offer. Slim
pickings to be sure, but then comes this resilient
old man who just will not give up and pisses off
conservative Republicans to boot. Ladies and
Gentlemen, it is now all about John McCain.
He is the epitome of American-ness, celebrated war
hero, keen patriot, civil servant and opinionated;
he even has a son serving in the Iraq war. Although
he may have some policy ideas that may not be
appealing to people interested in ending the war in
Iraq or decreasing tax cuts, he is at least the new
face of Republican America, whether it cares to
admit it or not.
As far as projections go, there have been more than
a few speculations as to who is going to be on the
ticket come the general elections next autumn. As
far as this writer is concerned the Republicans are
going to put McCain and Mike Hukabee on the same
ticket as president and vice, respectively. As for
the democratic ticket, it is probably going to be
Hillary for President with Obama as her vice. It
would be foolish of the Democratic Party not to
consider this sure winner.
Regardless of who gets voted into the Commander in
Chief position, what is the likelihood that US
policy towards the Horn of Africa in general and
Ethiopia in particular is going to change?
More likely than not, we are going to be dealing
with the same foreign policy towards the Horn as we
have seen over the last decade. Ethiopia will still
continue to face similar pressure from the US given
its strategic importance to the country in the
region. There are not going to be any major changes
to the support or the reprimands that the US is
going to throw this way, given that it would be
foolish on both ends to add friction to the
bilateral relations between the two countries.
With McCain though, you at least get the straight
talk that you pray for. The War on Terror will
surely continue and since Ethiopia is already a part
of it, things will not change too much. Against my
better judgment, I say more power to the senior
citizens’ camp! |
