A couple of weeks ago, I finally got around to reading President Barack Obama's second book, The Audacity of Hope. I came to two conclusions: first, our President is a very good writer; second, people who accused the President of naivety in his first term never read the book.
Obama wrote the book during his short time as a junior Senator from Illinois. He wrote about almost every issue that has come before him as President, delineating the arguments on both side. He discusses almost every issue, domestic and international. The one problem he did not foresee was the economic crisis he was confronted with on his first day in office.
Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, an impressive credential, so he comes back to the Constitution again and again, looking at every issue from that standpoint. Have we ever had a President who understood government as well?
Right now, I'm reading My Two Moms; Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family, by Zach Wahls. Wahls reached international notoriety through a You Tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q when he argued against a ban against gay marriage in Iowa before the House Judiciary Committee. He was raised by a lesbian couple and wanted the committee to understand his life. Now he has expanded his three minute statement into a book about his two mothers and how they helped him to lead an exemplary life.
Two books, tied together by the recent announcement of the President Obama that he is now in favor of gay marriage. Six states now have gay marriage: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
The times are changing, and in some ways they get better.
Obama wrote the book during his short time as a junior Senator from Illinois. He wrote about almost every issue that has come before him as President, delineating the arguments on both side. He discusses almost every issue, domestic and international. The one problem he did not foresee was the economic crisis he was confronted with on his first day in office.
Obama taught constitutional law at the University of Chicago, an impressive credential, so he comes back to the Constitution again and again, looking at every issue from that standpoint. Have we ever had a President who understood government as well?
Right now, I'm reading My Two Moms; Lessons of Love, Strength, and What Makes a Family, by Zach Wahls. Wahls reached international notoriety through a You Tube video at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSQQK2Vuf9Q when he argued against a ban against gay marriage in Iowa before the House Judiciary Committee. He was raised by a lesbian couple and wanted the committee to understand his life. Now he has expanded his three minute statement into a book about his two mothers and how they helped him to lead an exemplary life.
Two books, tied together by the recent announcement of the President Obama that he is now in favor of gay marriage. Six states now have gay marriage: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa, Vermont, and New Hampshire.
The times are changing, and in some ways they get better.
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