Not So Superpowers

Please join The Enosinian Society for our next debate on Wednesday, April 15th at 8:00 pm at The Honors Building, 714 21st St, to debate

Resolved: Superpowers are irrelevant in modern politics.

Throughout history there have been one or more superpowers that have dominated the global agenda through military, economic, and cultural means. The United States has been a solo superpower for fifteen plus years but some see it’s dominance as on the decline. However, others argue that the very concept of superpower is waning and that multi-state organizations like the UN or EU will replace the nation-state great powers. The most serious modern threats to global peace now stem from non-state actors and large powers no longer fight ‘hot’ wars and superpowers are largely helpless in the face of these new threats. On the other hand, superpowers may be the only states influential enough to prevent the outbreak of world conflict and their military and economic clout justifies their enlarged global role. The debate over the relevancy of traditional state superpowers has never been more important or as hotly contested.
This debate will be hosted in collaboration with International Affairs Society and the DPE Sorority.

Is American hegemony irrelevant? Bring your opinions!

Avast!

President Obama has ordered more pirates killed than any modern American president.

"Yet to Come"

I really don't think it has anything to do with the fact that their home Senator lost the presidential election to him, but Arizona State University, where the President will be addressing graduates in a few weeks, has decided not to award the President an honorary degree, saying, "His body of work is yet to come. That's why we're not recognizing him with a degree at the beginning of his presidency."

Really.

The first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review.

A community organizer who bettered the lives of the impoverished and disenfranchised.

A senior lecturer of constitutional law at the University of Chicago.

A state Senator of Illinois representing the 13th district for seven years.

A United States Senator representing Illinois for four years.

The 44th and first African-American President of the United States.

Not to mention the Grammy-winning author of two bestselling memoirs.

But nay, President Obama's achievements are "yet to come." How insulting.

To offer some perspective here, ASU bequeathed an honorary degree to Senator Barry Goldwater (R-AZ) after serving one term in the Senate. It offered a degree to Justice Sandra Day O'Connor after she'd served on the Supreme Court for three years. Walter Cronkite and Cesar Chavez were also handed honorary pieces of paper by the public Arizonan university.

Other ASU honorees: Erma Bombeck, Hugh Downs, Howard Pyle, Jerry Colangelo, Art Buchwald, and Steve Allen.

Never heard of 'em? Don't worry, you're not alone. But these household names were more worthy in the eyes of the ASU board than some dude named Barack Obama.

Apparently ASU has apologized for the "incident" ("Dear sir, our apologies as we failed to realize you are actually the elected Leader of the Free World") and has decided to rename a scholarship program "The President Barack Obama Scholars Program." Gee, thanks for throwing him a bone.

Speaking of bones, the following is an exclusive update on the FDOTUS situation (see "The Politics of Dogs"):

Barry & Bo

The Politics of Dogs

The First Dog has arrived.

As a dog lover through and through, I can't be more happy for Sasha and Malia Obama who just welcomed a new puppy, Bo, to the world's most secure poop yard.

Bo, a Portuguese water dog now living somewhat of a real life adaptation of a popular Nickelodeon movie, was a gift to the Obama family from Senator Edward Kennedy, a stalwart political ally of the president and lifelong lover of all things Portuguese water dogs (he owns several).

Bo's long anticipated arrival caps weeks of speculation over the breed, name, and sex of the dog, a media frenzy borne from our collective national affection for the aura of the idea of America's First Family which unites us in our love for our country and its culture and invariably transcends petty partisan politics.

Or, not.

New Gingrich, the fresh, new, exciting face [sic] and increasingly inevitable presidential frontrunner of the Republican party, apparently doesn't appreciate all of this undue attention being paid to uncovering the identity of FDOTUS.


“I hope that the girls love the dog,” Gingrich said on ABC’s “This Week.” “I hope the family – and all the pressure they’re going to be in – finds it useful. And I think that this whole thing is fairly stupid.”


The former Speaker of the House and current chairman of Old Cranky Smartasses of America (OCSA) went on to say, “And where they got [the dog] from – who cares? It’s a nice gesture on Senator Kennedy’s part to give it to them but who cares?”

Wow dude. Maybe the President can train Bo to fetch that stick from your ass.

Just imagine if they'd spelled the dog's name "Beau." Sean Hannity would probably dedicate a good fifteen minutes of programming to decry the "Frenching" of America.

UPDATE: It appears Bo Kennedy Obama's stay in the White House has ended earlier than expected. Freedom's Watch has reported that the less than one year old First Dog failed to pay $4,343 in back taxes and failed to disclose a new bone on his latest tax forms. The President has reportedly "reluctantly" accepted Bo's resignation. The First Dog's spokesdog could not be reached for comment.

Royally Awkward

Moral of the story: greeting and being around the Saudi king in general is awkward and uncomfortable for most Westerners, especially alpha male Leaders of the Free World. There's protocol involved. Does anyone complain when visiting heads of state have to adhere to strict arcane traditions in front of HM the Queen of England? Oh I forgot, she doesn't wear a towel on her head.

Call it a bow, call it an enthusiastic handshake, but don't call it the END OF ENDS of American world hegemony (!!!!) because our President demonstrated (due or undue) respect for a dictatorial regional (for better or worse) ally with whom we have (for better or worse) important interests.

Unless this all proves Obama is a Muslim usurper who is conspiring with the Saudi king to transform this country into a Islamic-socialist dictatorship. Go grab your guns and Bibles before they're confiscated.

Honestly people. A little perspective here (or anywhere) helps. Has President Obama fostered an oil business partnership with the Royal House of Saud? Has President Obama ever welcomed a member of the Royal House of Saud to his ranch? More than once? What's that? He doesn't own a ranch? Irrelevant.

My oh my, what a short-term memories we have.


*Smoooch*

Obama Dismisses My Realism

Just a few hours after North Korea illegally launched a ballistic missile, President Barack Obama spoke to a large crowd in a public square in Prague about the need for nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.

Those of you who are dedicated raindancers and esteemed Enosinians will remember that the Enosinian Society hosted a debate back in February over nuclear weapons (See "A Timeless Classic" and "DRUGS"). In this debate, I made the argument in favor of the elimination of nuclear weapons. It was a position I took reluctantly, as I had been fairly convinced of the necessity for such weapons for purposes of deterrence. However, over the course of developing, honing, and delivering my argument against my own belief, I daresay I convinced my inner realist to flip-flop on this issue.

Obama, returning to an issue that became one of this signature accomplishments in the U.S. Senate along with Dick Lugar (R-IN), has pushed me even closer to joining the disarmament camp. His remarks in Prague demonstrated his committment to non-proliferation, but also proved he's no nuke dove. He laid out his plans to address the issue with presently-armed countries, significantly strengthen the ability for international regimes like the IAEA to conduct thorough inspections, and punish countries for breaking the rules. The President suffers from no illusions about disarmament; he understands the challenges confronting these efforts as well as the reasons for not doing it. But he also understands that it is the right thing to do for humanity's sake. And since we're on the topic of humanity, the President knows and said as such in his speech that the single greatest nuclear threat to humanity comes from the hands of terrorists who acquire loose fissile material. And that's what keeps him up at night.

Watch the President's remarks here.