King Of The Planet

THE PRESIDENT of the United States is the king of this planet. I live on thisplanet. Therefore, the election of the President concerns me, too. Very much so.

The President is not the sole ruler of the world. There are other rulers too,albeit less powerful ones. His decisions are subject to many constraints beyondhis control. But there is no other person on earth whose decisions have such animpact on our lives.

The eight years of George W. Bush can serve as an example. The primitivecharacter of the man, his low intellectual level, his past as a born-againzealot - all these have influenced the state of the world, from his failure inpreventing 9/11, through his bloody adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq, to thecollapse of the world economy.

But still, every one of us, the citizens of the world who cannot vote in thiselection, has at least the right to say which of the candidates he or she wouldprefer in the White House.

I prefer Barack Obama.

ELECTIONS ARE not beauty contests. A wise voter must define the criteriaaccording to which he intends to make his choice.

For me, the main attribute, overshadowing all others, is the ability to quicklyrecognize major changes when they occur and draw the necessary conclusionswithout delay.

In the words of the ancient Greek philosopher, "everything flows" - weknow that the world does not stand still for a moment. In our time, with therapid pace of modern life, the changes are quicker and more dramatic then theywere 200 years ago. The development of technology, the spread of the internet,globalization, climate change, the instability of the economy, the currents ofhuman migration, shifts in the world-wide balance of power - these and athousand other factors ensure that changes will become more and more frequentand more and more radical.

The ability to adapt quickly to new situations is a decisive requirement for aleader. After dealing successfully with the world economic crisis, FranklinDelano Roosevelt reacted rapidly to Pearl Harbor. Winston Churchill recognizedbefore others the danger inherent in Hitler's ascent to power in Germany. Theyoung and inexperienced John Kennedy dealt decisively with the Cuban missilecrisis, which had brought the world to the brink of World War III. MikhailGorbachev oversaw the sudden collapse of the Soviet Bloc and avoided world-widebloodshed. The next American President will be faced right away with an economiccrisis that is changing the face of the world.

The President resembles the helmsman of a sailing-boat who has to be ready atevery moment for a sudden change of the wind and even for a hurricane.

Which of the two - Barack Obama or John McCain - is better suited for that job?The elderly Republican, who sees himself as the successor of a long row ofAdmirals and whose spiritual world is stuck in the middle of the 20th century,or the (comparatively) young Democrat, a man of the 21st?


THE SECOND test, in my eyes, concerns the character of the candidates. A personcan change his opinions, but hardly his character. A solid - but not exaggerated- self-confidence, self-discipline, cool-headedness in a crisis - these willhave a large influence on his ability to carry out his duties.

We have seen the two in the great debates. One should not pay too much attentionto what was said there - everything said in an election campaign is merely atool to catch votes. But we saw how the two candidates function under extremestress. Obama controlled himself admirably. His self-discipline did not falterfor a moment. He did not respond to provocations and he kept his cool at alltimes. McCain was much less in control of himself.

The most important decision the two had to make in the course of the campaignwas the choice of a running mate. Since the Vice-President can assume power at amoment's notice - and there is indeed a significant probability that this mayhappen - the decision tells us much about the decision maker.

Obama's decision was responsible and reasonable. He did not choose a brilliantor charismatic person, but someone who is versed in the affairs of state andcould assume office without a problem.

McCain's decision was a scandal that cries to high heaven. It suffices by itselfto disqualify him from high office - not because of Sarah Palin's opinions orher character, but because she is totally incapable of filling the role ofPresident.

The choice testifies to a basic flaw in McCain's character. He chose her becauseof the needs of the moment - to revive a flagging campaign and surprise themedia, while appealing to the most primitive strata of American society. Hejeopardized the future of the country for momentary expediency.

A person who is capable of making such a mistake should not be in a position tolead the most powerful country and to command the strongest military force onearth.

Moreover, the voter must ask himself or herself: if the President suffers astroke, like Ariel Sharon, or is assassinated, like John F. Kennedy - would Iprefer to see Biden or Palin in the Oval Office?

As for myself, I shrink back from the very idea of this primitive and venomousdemagogue, Sarah Palin, becoming the "Leader of the Free World".


A THIRD test is the ability to choose aides. This, too, is an importantattribute.

A strong leader, confident of himself, chooses highly qualified assistants,people who are prepared to advance independent opinions and contradict the bossto his face. A leader lacking self-confidence surrounds himself with flatterersand yes-men, who tell him only what he wants to hear. John Kennedy surroundedhimself with the best and the brightest. George W. belongs to the secondcategory.

I judge Israeli leaders by this measure. Yigal Allon, a much admired general andpolitician, surrounded himself with bright young men, who did not hesitate tointerrupt him in mid-speech and contradict him. Menachem Begin was surrounded bypeople who agreed with his every word.

A strong leader invites disagreement, debate, brainstorming. A leader who onlyacts strong does not brook any opposition. (Like the ultimate dictator, AdolfHitler, who broke out in fits of rage if anyone dared to contradict him.)

Politics is a profession by itself. Most politicians have no profound knowledgeof other matters, certainly not in the areas in which they have to make fatefuldecisions - from economics to military strategy. So the choice of the rightadvisors and the readiness to listen with an open mind, to learn and to thinkanew are essential qualities. I have the impression that Obama can do it. I amnot so sure about McCain.


THERE IS another important consideration to take into account while making thechoice: in a week and a half not only will a president be chosen, but also avery large group of senior officials in all areas of government.

In the American system, the new occupant of the White House brings with himthousands of other office-holders, whose equivalents in other countries belongto the permanent civil service. It is easy to imagine the huge differencebetween those Obama would bring with him and those who would come with McCain.

One should not forget the Supreme Court, which plays a central part in theAmerican system (as it does now in Israel). It is the President who chooses newjustices. The appointment of one or two can bring about far-reaching changes.


WHEN ONE speaks about the election of a President of the United States, it isalso very important to consider the candidate's openness to the wide world.

The United States is not just a country, it's half a continent. Many of itscitizens don't give a damn about the world outside and don't want to hear aboutit. School children are unable to place China or Brazil on the map. Likeprevious empires, the USA sees itself as an island of civilization in a sea ofbarbarians. (Just like Ehud Barak, with his Israel as a "villa in themiddle of the jungle".)

George Bush came to the White House with minimal knowledge about the world. JohnMcCain does not know much more. True, he was born in the American militaryghetto in Panama and languished for five years in a Vietnamese prison, but thatdoes not make him a citizen of the world.

In this respect, Obama has an advantage unmatched by any previous president. Heis the son of a black father who came from Kenya and a white American mother. Inhis childhood he attended a school in Indonesia. His manifold roots andexperience give him much wider horizons. For a new arrival at the White House,that is an important treasure. There are things one cannot learn from others.Personal experience counts.


I MUST add a subjective remark. I belong to a generation that grew up admiringAmerica. We saw the US as the freeest country in the world, an idealisticsociety, the bastion of democracy and human rights. In two world wars it rushedto the rescue of the opponents of tyranny.

When we had grown up, we found out that it ain't necessarily so. We saw that theUS is like most other states, and worse than some. During the last eight years,the US has presented itself to the world as an arrogant, bullying, primitive andaggressive country that rides roughshod over the human rights of its own andforeign citizens, justifies torture, keeps abominable concentration camps, andthe list goes on.

The election of Barack Obama, a man who is half black and half white and whoseconvictions are liberal and democratic, can give us back some of our faith inthe United States. It would show that, as has happened several times in thepast, America can draw back from the brink in time and find itself again, as itdid at the end of the Joe McCarthy era.

I do not entertain many illusions. I know that even in the best ofcircumstances, one single person cannot turn such a huge ship around and reverseits direction completely. But even small changes can be of immense importance tothe world.

Perhaps, some day, I shall regret every word I have written here. Obama mayprove to be a disappointment, and very much so. We cannot know the future. Todaywe can judge only on the basis of what we know today, according to ourimpressions and feelings today.

And these tell me: Obama.