Editorial: Colossus of dreams

---

People love heroes. They love to imagine that history is driven by all-powerful individuals. This is why cults of the individual manage to endure. Instead of dealing with the complexities of real life, people like to simplify things, as in Obama's election, for example. Granted, Obama is smart, energetic and inspirational; charismatic too, and he dreams of many good things. But talk is cheap.

It is tempting to think that everything can change because one person says so. However heroic Obama may be, he still has to answer to an army of aides and senior advisers. If good, those aides and advisors are going to tell him to go easy, tread softly, and watch his back, for this is what politics is all about. Congressmen, answering to a wide range of interests, will also dampen his zeal.

In short, the new president will not be able to rule as if the military- industrial complex doesn't exist. He cannot rule as if financial interests don't matter, or that the media will always be friendly. What will he do with the budget deficit? How can he get money enough to help the underprivileged? How about all the financial and legal limitations? Presidents are powerful indeed. But they are not omnipotent.

Furthermore, having a black president doesn't mean that America has turned its back on racial prejudice; it doesn't mean that America is going to start giving all its citizens a fair deal. About 52 per cent of Americans voted for Obama. But how many of those are truly colour blind? How many are truly tolerant? How many are just angry with Bush and his policies? Americans clearly didn't want eight more years of Republican policies. But how much change do they really want?

The US has a long history of prejudice against minorities. Blacks, Irishmen, Jews, Japanese and others had a taste of US racism at one point or another. It is simply naïve to think that racism is over. Those who claim that a new dawn of American democracy is upon us must reconsider. Prejudice, bias and discrimination are all part of the US legacy. Let's not forget the wave of prejudice that targeted Arab and Muslim Americans following 9/11. Let's get things into perspective.

Obama has won. But this doesn't mean that America is a changed country. Let's wait and see. And let's pray for the new president to make even a dent into the colossus of his dreams.