Politics (that’s with a capital “P”) Comes to the Fore

The good?  In the months leading up to the election last November, the question I was asked by virtually everyone, everywhere as I traveled throughout the world as the International Healthcare leader for Perot Systems was: “Is this real?  Will the US really elect Barack Obama?”  What was interesting is the uniform and extensive interest in our election.   So, the decision of the Nobel Committee fits with the nearly universal international support for a change in policy direction for the US which Obama represented. So, congrats to President Obama.  As everyone knows by now, on Friday morning the Nobel Committee announced that he is the recipient of the 2009 Nobel Peace Prize.  Citing Obama's "efforts to strengthen international diplomacy" along with his support for nuclear arms reduction, the committee declared that the U.S. role in international affairs has changed substantially since the president took office.  All sides weighed in on this one ranging from President Sarkozy’s comment that “it sets the seal on America's return to the heart of all the world's peoples” to an op-ed piece in The Norway Post slamming the decision by noting that “Naming Obama as Peace Prize winner is a slap in the face of other nominees who are much more worthy and have actually accomplished something.”  But, a lot of pundits and politicians were lying low and offering “no comment.”

The bad?  Troop morale was reported to be sinking in Afghanistan as the Administration debates which direction to take.  As we discussed a number of weeks ago, there are a lot of issues facing the US, and Afghanistan is near the top of the list.  

The ugly? The House Ethics Committee announced it is expanding its investigation of Representative Charlie Rangel (D-NY) after he amended his financial disclosure forms to acknowledge hundreds of thousands of dollars in previously unreported income and assets.  As Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee – one of the most important in the House related to healthcare reform – a Rangel distraction, it seems, is not what the Democrats need at this point.  

The views and opinions expressed herein are my own and do not necessarily represent the views and opinions of Dell Services or its affiliates.