Angel and Tiggs

With the congratulatory deluge that has flowed from world leaders, you can almost sense their mad dash to win the heart of Barack Obama, their desire to do a laying-of-hands ceremony, just to capture a hint of his stardust.  The news clippings show that much of the world was hoping Obama would win.  And of course, world leaders have all expressed their eagerness to work with him.  But they are also hoping that his strategy and now almost-mythical handling of his “change we need” campaign will help with their respective realities.

Sarkozy has already started taking notes [in French], in the hopes of re-branding himself in the next presidential election in France.  But I’m not sure how that would mesh with his style.  Mr. Hyperprésident himself is quite different from Obama.  He is known for usually leaping before looking down, constantly fleeting about in his haste to show that he is in control.

But I was thinking, oh to be a fly on the wall in the board rooms where political leaders are planning their make-overs, somehow trying to spin their relevancy with the “change rhetoric”.   I think I might have caught a glimpse of just how that could actually happen.  I was listening to yesterday’s British Parliamentary session and was amazed by an exchange between Prime Minister Gordon Brown and opposition leader David Cameron.  They talked about the Obama-esque change as if that’s what they had been saying all along, as if it had always been a part of Labour’s or the Conservatives’ policies.  Really, I was impressed.  Here’s a snippet:

Cameron strikes: Our recession next year will be worse than in Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, France, or the United States.

Brown retorts:  We have had ten years of economic stability under liberals.

Cameron tries another dig:
In Britain, people are losing their homes, small businesses are closing, unemployment is rising, manufacturing output again today is falling, and by refusing to hold a public inquiry, the Prime Minister is yet again demonstrating that he cannot provide the change people want.

On the day the American people voted for change, aren’t people in this country entitled to ask, how much longer have we got to put up with more of the same from a government that has failed?

Brown rallies:
The truth is that the Conservative party’s policies are rejected in America and in Britain . . . We will work closely with the new [American] administration because their progressive policies are similar to ours.

Listening to their conversation felt like déjà vu.  They made sure to mention all the buzz words, “change”, “more of the same from a government that has failed”, “progressive policies”.  My head is still humming from all that.  Really, this is all rather amusing, a strange interplay between politics and the ever-present human “me too” trait.  I dare say this love fest will continue until it is no longer convenient or advantageous for political leaders to say, “me too”.  That is, the sweet whispers [or in this case shouting] of somethings will lessen once Obama’s plans and policies are laid out.  Then, it will become a scramble to stand out with their “not me” placards.  In the meantime, they are waiting in line to present their list of demands.