For what it is worth - five suggestions for President Obama:
1. Noble Prize laureates Joseph Stigletz and Paul Krugman should be in charge of reforming the nations banking system and stimulating the economy through a new system of government owned banks in consort with whichever private banks prove themselves able to survive ethically and in honest practicality serve their stockholders by being beneficial for the public. A Treasury Secretary Joe Stigletz would stun the international community into confidence in the U.S., though many heretofore wealthy financial power brokers who would see their influence decline.
2. America’s leading intellectual, Noam Chomsky, should be the President’s Foreign and Domestic Affairs advisor to bring morality, intelligence and compassion to U.S. foreign and domestic policies, really protect America, lead the rescue of ‘the other half “ of humanity from exploitation and protect the planet from degradation. The military-industrial-complex stock would plummet. Its now nearly omnipotent lobbyists would have would have little say.
3. Ralph Nader, the most knowledgeable, experienced and trusted activist scholar on government relations with corporations and business, should have a cabinet post to regulate health and vigor back into industrial production and commerce. His methods would surely feature public transparency and accountability, a human resource stimulating interest in working conditions, community empowerment, consumer input recognition, care for the future condition of our environment, and restoring the original purposes of accreditation of corporations by non-corruptible agencies of state governments with mutual benefit and as motive and prerequisite to incorporation.
5. Since business and finance cannot operate progressively in a war economy, for a new and real Secretary of Defense, not War, Obama needs someone who would not be afraid to talk to those who have known America, as an enemy, overthrowing democracy, invading or threatening to invade. A Secretary of Defense, who could implement the diplomacy that candidate Obama promised.
Best choice would be that tough talking, fearless in denouncing injustice, (especially our own), and commanding the respect from even from those most dedicated to destroying America who have heard his impassioned and sincere, “God damn America for its crimes!” - yes, Obama’s minister Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
At Wright’s installation ceremony, Obama would probably want to take back his quickly raised hand indicating a definite yes to Wolf Blitzer’s debate question, "Would you give the go ahead to a strike to take out a terrorist leader, if you knew there would be civilian casualties?”
How could a preacher in the mold of Martin Luther King Jr., head up our armed forces trained and ready to kill? Easily, and with predicable success. He would have us lower all our worldwide positioned guns, ground our drones and manned bombers, apologize for the people we did in with these mortally high-tech guns in the past, outline our intentions not to interfere in other nations' internal affairs, offer to make amends as much as we can, and watch all those smaller than ours guns pointed back at us lower themselves. Actually, America has more carrots than sticks, anyway.
The only persons who would ever have been natural to choose over Rev. Jeremiah are MLKjr, himself and Albert Einstein, who would have “preferred to be torn to pieces rather than participate in war.”
That’s it! With such a array of humane and educated brain power working for him, Obama could have the time and the clarity to focus on explaining how “government for the people” can more effectively be “government of the people,” and through heightened citizen interest in participation, become increasingly and democratically “government by the people."
None of the above dream team is going to be taken under consideration, let alone have a chance to be installed, however, talking about it, while heard and seen by a wide audience would help us see similar team reality in a less distant future than otherwise.
Right now, Obama leadership is a phantom. Obama leadership is an illusion, especially when if comes to economic decisions.
Obama is a medium the rulers of America use, much in the same they use their conglomerate owed media.
As advertised, promoted and sold by commercial media we see, hear and read of an apparition of presidential guidance as Obama dutifully goes through the motions appointing, proposing, and signing congressional bills and executive orders with only relatively inconsequential control over the fundamental policies of his administration
The ruling elite uses corporate mass-media, which they own and control to circulate selected and restricted economic and political information along with disinformation, misinformation, blackouts of pertinent historical context, and slanted opinion in straw horse knock down debates between neo-liberal capitalists and proto-fascist extreme militant corporate imperialists presented as discussions between the left and conservatives to fool the public into continuing to accept their rule and their rulers' prerogatives intact.
(Note: You can view every article as one long page if you sign up as an Advocate Member, or higher).