Here we are yet again: Australia Day is only next week. The BBQ is on the balcony, the beer has been purchased and the radio ready for Triple J’s Hottest 100.
But today I don’t want to talk about Australia, at least not directly. They say the world is now a very different place from what it was this time last year and in many ways this is true. The recession we once again had to have is upon us, the Rudd Government has been in power for just over a year and Obama has been inaugurated as President of the United States; giving an inauguration speech that brings hope to a world tired of Bush’s bumbling predations.
The speech itself has been criticised for not being inspirational enough and yet I must admit that this old cynic’s eyes were glistening, for it seemed a blueprint for the type of world in which Obama wants to live; a world that is a shared fantasy for many of us.
Oh, there were the usual clichéd references to God and the military: this was after all a speech by the President of the United States of America. But if you read between the lines you see a harsh indictment of the Bush Administration and a promise to fundamentally change the direction of both US foreign and domestic policy.
“On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas that for far too long have strangled our politics.”
“As for our common defence, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers faced with perils that we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake.”
“…power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use. Our security emanates from the justness of our cause; the force of our example; the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.”
Ultimately, I don’t think this kind of radical re-imagining is possible and certainly not in the short term. A simple glance at the news headlines in the lead-up to the inauguration shows that in many ways it’s “chaos as usual” out there. There may be dancing in the streets in many parts of the world, but when asked what she thought of Obama’s election, a Gazan woman reportedly said, “Obama won't bring my husband back to life.” If the US’ blind support of Israel is not tempered, can the foreign policy problems Obama really mentioned in his speech be countered?
Ultimately though, Obama’s biggest enemy will be the almost crushing level of expectation placed on him from a world that is simply exhausted after what seemed an eternity of Bush. As Vladimir Putin put it, "I am deeply convinced that the biggest disappointments are born out of big expectations."
On this day of self-reflection though, I ask: imagine what would happen if Obama’s vision of a tolerant, charitable, technologically-advanced, environmentally-sustainable, highly-educated, pluralistic and healthy world could really be created despite ourselves? It is this small hope that brings a tear to this old cynic’s eyes and one that informs the outpourings of emotions seen across the globe.
In my youth, this vision was the one I had of my country; a vision cruelly stripped away in 11 years of Howard, Bush’s much-feted literal and metaphorical partner in crime. Deep down, I still believe this new desire for peace and charity is due to our current financial woes. As we come out of the recession in a few year’s time, we’ll once again discover greed and pettiness and meanness and the obscene scramble for wealth will leave the underdogs looking for anyone to blame and hatred will flare and the demand for resources will drive us to war yet again. But until then, I hope.
Hope you have a great Happy Australia Day.
Photo: LRD helping to defeat global warming, one eyepatch at the time. 
Photo: John tries to explain that Dave has to die before he gets the strippers and beer.
