God Bless America

I am amazed. During the U.S. presidential campaign I haven’t been a European Obama supporter, nor am I one now, though I have always appreciated his ever-present composure, and above all the fact that, in a way, his unwavering “belief in change” is all about the American Dream being once again every American's dream. That belief and that composure are probably the core of his victory speech itself (see my previous post), in a triumph of sobriety and restrained emotion.

What amazes me are two—very interrelated—things. The first is what the Americans have done and demonstrated yesterday, namely what the new president of the United States has plainly summarized at the beginning of his victory speech:

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where any things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive ... who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.
[…]
And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

Perhaps never truer words were spoken by a politician. America is still the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave. The U.S. is still the country of the second chance, of opportunity for all, included millions of people around the world who hope for a better future for them and their children.

I am also amazed by the words the defeated candidate pronounced in his concession speech (see my other previous post):

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.

America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.

Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.
[…]
I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

I must say that, as a European and a true friend of the United States of America as well, I share with president Obama one more firm belief, that this victory is not so much his victory as that of the American people: “I will never forget—he said tonight—who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.”

Good luck, Mr. President, and may God bless your Great Country.

A Place in History - 2

Obama victory speech (Chicago, Illinois, Wednesday, November 5, 2008):

If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible; who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time; who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer.

Its the answer told by lines that stretched around schools and churches in numbers this nation has never seen; by people who waited three hours and four hours, many for the very first time in their lives, because they believed that this time must be different; that their voice could be that difference.

Its the answer spoken by young and old, rich and poor, Democrat and Republican, black, white, Latino, Asian, Native American, gay, straight, disabled and not disabled - Americans who sent a message to the world that we have never been a collection of Red States and Blue States: we are, and always will be, the United States of America.

Its the answer that led those who have been told for so long by so many to be cynical, and fearful, and doubtful of what we can achieve to put their hands on the arc of history and bend it once more toward the hope of a better day.

Its been a long time coming, but tonight, because of what we did on this day, in this election, at this defining moment, change has come to America.

I just received a very gracious call from Senator McCain. He fought long and hard in this campaign, and hes fought even longer and harder for the country he loves. He has endured sacrifices for America that most of us cannot begin to imagine, and we are better off for the service rendered by this brave and selfless leader. I congratulate him and Governor Palin for all they have achieved, and I look forward to working with them to renew this nations promise in the months ahead.

I want to thank my partner in this journey, a man who campaigned from his heart and spoke for the men and women he grew up with on the streets of Scranton and rode with on that train home to Delaware, the Vice President-elect of the United States, Joe Biden.

I would not be standing here tonight without the unyielding support of my best friend for the last sixteen years, the rock of our family and the love of my life, our nations next First Lady, Michelle Obama. Sasha and Malia, I love you both so much, and you have earned the new puppy thats coming with us to the White House. And while shes no longer with us, I know my grandmother is watching, along with the family that made me who I am. I miss them tonight, and know that my debt to them is beyond measure.

To my campaign manager David Plouffe, my chief strategist David Axelrod, and the best campaign team ever assembled in the history of politics - you made this happen, and I am forever grateful for what youve sacrificed to get it done.

But above all, I will never forget who this victory truly belongs to - it belongs to you.

I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didnt start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington - it began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.

It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give five dollars and ten dollars and twenty dollars to this cause. It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generations apathy; who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep; from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers; from the millions of Americans who volunteered, and organized, and proved that more than two centuries later, a government of the people, by the people and for the people has not perished from this Earth. This is your victory.

I know you didnt do this just to win an election and I know you didnt do it for me. You did it because you understand the enormity of the task that lies ahead. For even as we celebrate tonight, we know the challenges that tomorrow will bring are the greatest of our lifetime - two wars, a planet in peril, the worst financial crisis in a century. Even as we stand here tonight, we know there are brave Americans waking up in the deserts of Iraq and the mountains of Afghanistan to risk their lives for us. There are mothers and fathers who will lie awake after their children fall asleep and wonder how theyll make the mortgage, or pay their doctors bills, or save enough for college. There is new energy to harness and new jobs to be created; new schools to build and threats to meet and alliances to repair.

The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you - we as a people will get there.

There will be setbacks and false starts. There are many who wont agree with every decision or policy I make as President, and we know that government cant solve every problem. But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face. I will listen to you, especially when we disagree. And above all, I will ask you join in the work of remaking this nation the only way its been done in America for two-hundred and twenty-one years - block by block, brick by brick, calloused hand by calloused hand.

What began twenty-one months ago in the depths of winter must not end on this autumn night. This victory alone is not the change we seek - it is only the chance for us to make that change. And that cannot happen if we go back to the way things were. It cannot happen without you.

So let us summon a new spirit of patriotism; of service and responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves, but each other. Let us remember that if this financial crisis taught us anything, its that we cannot have a thriving Wall Street while Main Street suffers - in this country, we rise or fall as one nation; as one people.

Let us resist the temptation to fall back on the same partisanship and pettiness and immaturity that has poisoned our politics for so long. Let us remember that it was a man from this state who first carried the banner of the Republican Party to the White House - a party founded on the values of self-reliance, individual liberty, and national unity. Those are values we all share, and while the Democratic Party has won a great victory tonight, we do so with a measure of humility and determination to heal the divides that have held back our progress. As Lincoln said to a nation far more divided than ours, We are not enemies, but friends…though passion may have strained it must not break our bonds of affection. And to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn - I may not have won your vote, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your President too.

And to all those watching tonight from beyond our shores, from parliaments and palaces to those who are huddled around radios in the forgotten corners of our world - our stories are singular, but our destiny is shared, and a new dawn of American leadership is at hand. To those who would tear this world down - we will defeat you. To those who seek peace and security - we support you. And to all those who have wondered if Americas beacon still burns as bright - tonight we proved once more that the true strength of our nation comes not from our the might of our arms or the scale of our wealth, but from the enduring power of our ideals: democracy, liberty, opportunity, and unyielding hope.

For that is the true genius of America - that America can change. Our union can be perfected. And what we have already achieved gives us hope for what we can and must achieve tomorrow.

This election had many firsts and many stories that will be told for generations. But one thats on my mind tonight is about a woman who cast her ballot in Atlanta. Shes a lot like the millions of others who stood in line to make their voice heard in this election except for one thing - Ann Nixon Cooper is 106 years old.

She was born just a generation past slavery; a time when there were no cars on the road or planes in the sky; when someone like her couldnt vote for two reasons - because she was a woman and because of the color of her skin.

And tonight, I think about all that shes seen throughout her century in America - the heartache and the hope; the struggle and the progress; the times we were told that we cant, and the people who pressed on with that American creed: Yes we can.

At a time when womens voices were silenced and their hopes dismissed, she lived to see them stand up and speak out and reach for the ballot. Yes we can.

When there was despair in the dust bowl and depression across the land, she saw a nation conquer fear itself with a New Deal, new jobs and a new sense of common purpose. Yes we can.

When the bombs fell on our harbor and tyranny threatened the world, she was there to witness a generation rise to greatness and a democracy was saved. Yes we can.

She was there for the buses in Montgomery, the hoses in Birmingham, a bridge in Selma, and a preacher from Atlanta who told a people that We Shall Overcome. Yes we can.

A man touched down on the moon, a wall came down in Berlin, a world was connected by our own science and imagination. And this year, in this election, she touched her finger to a screen, and cast her vote, because after 106 years in America, through the best of times and the darkest of hours, she knows how America can change. Yes we can.

America, we have come so far. We have seen so much. But there is so much more to do. So tonight, let us ask ourselves - if our children should live to see the next century; if my daughters should be so lucky to live as long as Ann Nixon Cooper, what change will they see? What progress will we have made?

This is our chance to answer that call. This is our moment. This is our time - to put our people back to work and open doors of opportunity for our kids; to restore prosperity and promote the cause of peace; to reclaim the American Dream and reaffirm that fundamental truth - that out of many, we are one; that while we breathe, we hope, and where we are met with cynicism, and doubt, and those who tell us that we cant, we will respond with that timeless creed that sums up the spirit of a people:

Yes We Can. Thank you, God bless you, and may God Bless the United States of America.

A Place in History

John McCain's concession speech (Phoenix, Arizona, Tuesday, November 4, 2008):

My friends, we have -- we have come to the end of a long journey. The American people have spoken, and they have spoken clearly.

A little while ago, I had the honor of calling Senator Barack Obama to congratulate him. To congratulate him on being elected the next president of the country that we both love.

In a contest as long and difficult as this campaign has been, his success alone commands my respect for his ability and perseverance. But that he managed to do so by inspiring the hopes of so many millions of Americans who had once wrongly believed that they had little at stake or little influence in the election of an American president is something I deeply admire and commend him for achieving.

This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and for the special pride that must be theirs tonight.
I've always believed that America offers opportunities to all who have the industry and will to seize it. Senator Obama believes that, too.

But we both recognize that, though we have come a long way from the old injustices that once stained our nation's reputation and denied some Americans the full blessings of American citizenship, the memory of them still had the power to wound.
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt's invitation of Booker T. Washington to dine at the White House was taken as an outrage in many quarters.

America today is a world away from the cruel and frightful bigotry of that time. There is no better evidence of this than the election of an African-American to the presidency of the United States.

Let there be no reason now for any American to fail to cherish their citizenship in this, the greatest nation on Earth.

Senator Obama has achieved a great thing for himself and for his country. I applaud him for it, and offer him my sincere sympathy that his beloved grandmother did not live to see this day. Though our faith assures us she is at rest in the presence of her creator and so very proud of the good man she helped raise.

Senator Obama and I have had and argued our differences, and he has prevailed. No doubt many of those differences remain.

These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.

I urge all Americans who supported me to join me in not just congratulating him, but offering our next president our good will and earnest effort to find ways to come together to find the necessary compromises to bridge our differences and help restore our prosperity, defend our security in a dangerous world, and leave our children and grandchildren a stronger, better country than we inherited.

Whatever our differences, we are fellow Americans. And please believe me when I say no association has ever meant more to me than that.

It is natural. It's natural, tonight, to feel some disappointment. But tomorrow, we must move beyond it and work together to get our country moving again.
We fought -- we fought as hard as we could. And though we feel short, the failure is mine, not yours.

I am so deeply grateful to all of you for the great honor of your support and for all you have done for me. I wish the outcome had been different, my friends.

The road was a difficult one from the outset, but your support and friendship never wavered. I cannot adequately express how deeply indebted I am to you.
I'm especially grateful to my wife, Cindy, my children, my dear mother my dear mother and all my family, and to the many old and dear friends who have stood by my side through the many ups and downs of this long campaign.

I have always been a fortunate man, and never more so for the love and encouragement you have given me. You know, campaigns are often harder on a candidate's family than on the candidate, and that's been true in this campaign.

All I can offer in compensation is my love and gratitude and the promise of more peaceful years ahead.

I am also -- I am also, of course, very thankful to Governor Sarah Palin, one of the best campaigners I've ever seen one of the best campaigners I have ever seen, and an impressive new voice in our party for reform and the principles that have always been our greatest strength, her husband Todd and their five beautiful children for their tireless dedication to our cause, and the courage and grace they showed in the rough and tumble of a presidential campaign.

We can all look forward with great interest to her future service to Alaska, the Republican Party and our country.

To all my campaign comrades, from Rick Davis and Steve Schmidt and Mark Salter, to every last volunteer who fought so hard and valiantly, month after month, in what at times seemed to be the most challenged campaign in modern times, thank you so much. A lost election will never mean more to me than the privilege of your faith and friendship.

I don't know -- I don't know what more we could have done to try to win this election. I'll leave that to others to determine. Every candidate makes mistakes, and I'm sure I made my share of them. But I won't spend a moment of the future regretting what might have been.

This campaign was and will remain the great honor of my life, and my heart is filled with nothing but gratitude for the experience and to the American people for giving me a fair hearing before deciding that Senator Obama and my old friend Senator Joe Biden should have the honor of leading us for the next four years.

I would not -- I would not be an American worthy of the name should I regret a fate that has allowed me the extraordinary privilege of serving this country for a half a century.

Today, I was a candidate for the highest office in the country I love so much. And tonight, I remain her servant. That is blessing enough for anyone, and I thank the people of Arizona for it.

Tonight -- tonight, more than any night, I hold in my heart nothing but love for this country and for all its citizens, whether they supported me or Senator Obama -- whether they supported me or Senator Obama.

I wish Godspeed to the man who was my former opponent and will be my president. And I call on all Americans, as I have often in this campaign, to not despair of our present difficulties, but to believe, always, in the promise and greatness of America, because nothing is inevitable here.

Americans never quit. We never surrender.

We never hide from history. We make history.

Thank you, and God bless you, and God bless America. Thank you all very much.

Waiting for the last judgement ...

Italy is gearing up for today's presidential elections in the United States almost as if it was a national election here complete with all-night TV coverage, ANSA informs.

Actors Leonardo Di Caprio and Daniel Craig will follow the results of the presidential elections from Rome tonight after arriving in the capital ahead of the Italian premieres of their latest movies.

As for me, I'm gonna do my best—in spite of the six-hour time difference ...

Election night (popcorn included)

So many have predicted a lopsided victory for Senator Barack Obama over Senator John McCain that you might wonder why even to bother watching the returns on Tuesday night. The fact is, there is plenty of mystery — and there is only one poll that counts.

Yes, indeed. There is only one poll that counts … Here is a guide of highlights to watch for on Tuesday.

Education reform: second thoughts

There is a very interesting and significant development concerning the issue of recent education reform of Italian government. A prominent leader of the center-right People of Freedom party (PdL) and Lombardy region Governor, Roberto Formigoni, is keeping the party and the government at arm's length. Formigoni, who is also a former Vice-President of the European Parliament, criticized today [in Italian] the deep budget cuts (€7.8bn) over the next three years included in Mariastella Gelmini’s decree—definitively converted into law by the Senate last Wednesday—at the opening of the Academic Year 2008-2009 of Milan Polytechnic. He agreed with rector Giulio Ballio, who in his official opening speech called [in It.] for the need to distinguish inefficient universities from virtuous ones.

This is an invitation to second thoughts, not an attack against the government. The reform and the rationalization of public expenditures are necessary, but we must treat efficiency and quality of the system with care, by recognizing the goodness of those universities which have been so far virtuous and wise.

Furthermore, he said that “there should be a debate in parliament. The best way is always to develop a shared reform agenda.”

This is, of course, something very different from the approach taken by the other members of the ruling coalition, with the only exception of Roberto Calderoli, a leading member of the Northern League, who along with the Lombardy region Governor called today [in It.] for a shared reform agenda.

In my previous post I hoped the government would think again about the budget cuts. Now I hope this marks the beginning of a fundamental change of mind.

Happy All Saints Day!

When The Saints Go Marchin' In

(Louis Armstrong's All Stars In Concert. La Bussola, Focette (Marina di Pietrasanta), (LU), Italy. Thursday, May 7, 1959)

Think again, Mrs. Education Secretary

After the huge rally which was held Saturday in Rome—organised by the main opposition party, the Democratic Party—to protest against the government of prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, it’s now up to students and teachers to stage mass demonstrations all over the country against the government.

Last Saturday the message was, in the words of PD leader Walter Veltroni, “Italy is much better than the right that is governing it now but another Italy is possible and we’ll do it together. Democracy, Mr prime minister, is not a company board.” Next Thursday, the day of the general strike of the school proclaimed by the unions, the slogan could sound “Italian teachers are much better than you, Mrs. education secretary. School is not dead wood to be axed.”

In fact, deep budget cuts (€7.8bn) over the next three years are exactly what the new young education secretary Mariastella Gelmini adopted in her recent decree. Yet, Gelmini’s education reforms are not just cutting expenses. There is the reintroduction of a system of “one class, one teacher” in elementary schools, namely each class would have one all-purpose instructor instead of three staff sharing teaching duties in different subjects for two classes. A questionable but “important” choice. There is the reintroduction of marks for conduct, which were abolished 10 years ago. A decision which was heartily welcome, as far as I know, by the vast majority of teachers in the face of an increasing number of hideous incidents of bullying. There are equally welcome measures aimed to let families save money on school books (see also Alex Roe’s Blog from Italy for more details on this and other aspects of Gelmini’s decree). Furthermore, Gelmini urged headmasters to promote the wearing of smocks. She is also considering the reintroduction of uniforms.

Yet, Famiglia Cristiana, a very popular Catholic weekly magazine, wrote in its latest issue, “We cannot define reform a simple cut of expenses.” Perhaps this sentence is too harsh, but the charge is not groundless. “In a country afflicted by the crisis,” wrote Famiglia Cristiana, “money is made available for Alitalia and banks: why not for schools?”

What the Catholic weekly magazine seems to forget is that, as the Guardian rightly notes in a very informative article,

The homeland of Maria Montessori spends more on its six- to 11-year-olds than the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development average. Cash gets a bit tighter in secondary education. But even there the average spending per student is £4,420, only fractionally below the OECD average.

And that the nub of the issue is instead that

the available resources are spent badly - or, rather, unproductively. About 97% of Italy's education budget is gobbled up by pay. Yet the teachers are not particularly well rewarded. In primary education, they get 78% of the OECD average (though they also work shorter hours: a basic 24 per week). The problem is that there are so many of them. Italy is a country of short teaching weeks, long school days and small classes, often in tiny schools.

But this, in turn, doesn’t mean that there will be people who will be thrown out of work. As a matter of fact the government stresses that the savings are to be made by not filling vacancies (which is not a good thing, however, for several thousands of young freelance teachers whose hopes of a career in education have been put off, at least, until 2012).

There is, however, a “sophisticated interpretation,” as the leftist Guardian maliciously puts it: “that Gelmini is building a bedrock of support from which she can demand greater resources for the more challenging task of reforming secondary education.” But the risk is that, continues the British daily newspaper, “with Italy once again heading back into a recession that will strain its public finances, the treasury will slam shut the coffers once the cuts have taken effect.” Unfortunately, this is not an unlikely scenario, in my opinion.

That’s also why even some right-wing supporters and allies of the ruling coalition led by Berlusconi—among whom the Northern League leader Umberto Bossi himself, with his superb political nose—balked at the decree when it was unveiled.

What is worst for Mrs. Gelmini and for the whole education system is that public opinion, rebus sic stantibus, could persuade itself to “throw out the baby with the bath water,” that is to say to get rid of the good of Gelmini’s “reform” along with the bad and/or highly questionable. That’s why the government would be doing a favor to both itself and the country by suspending or withdrawing the Gelmini decree. But I’m afraid it’s too late: it’s almost certain that the Senate will approve today the controversial decree.

----

UPDATE MARCH 29, 2008 - 12:29 pm

As widely predicted, Italian government won a few minutes ago final parliamentary approval for Mariastella Gelmini's education reforms. The Senate, the upper house of parliament, approved the decree by 162 votes for to 134 against with three abstentions.

“From today on,” said Valentina Aprea, chair of the Senate’s Cultural Commission, “we shall be busy enacting this decree together with Piano Gelmini to completely re-organise the educational system, to conform to European standards and those of OECD countries, taking up the challenge of re-grading public expenditure on education according to criteria of quality, efficiency and effectiveness.”

E' il Circo Massimo che porta male?

Che dire? Io forse sono stato un po’ distratto negli ultimi tempi (sulla politica nostrana), però nel leggere questa cosa di Peppino Caldarola ho avuto un attimo di disorientamento. Poi ho fatto mente locale: in primo luogo, l’autore del pezzo si sa come la pensa (sta nel Pd, però a modo suo) e nel tempo si è fatto apprezzare più di una volta per coerenza e tenacia riformista; in secondo luogo, ha detto la sacrosanta verità. E allora? Niente, è tutto a posto. Nessun problema, anzi, bravissimo. Sottoscrivo parola per parola. Cioè, tra l’altro, questo:

Il discorso del capo del Pd è stato un tuffo nel passato. C’era tutto l’ultimo Berlinguer, quello che, pentito dell’unità nazionale, chiamava a raccolta tutto il radicalismo comunista per nascondere una sconfitta che si avvicinava a grandi passi. La stessa operazione ha fatto ieri Veltroni. La chiave del suo ragionamento è stata fondata sulla estraneità della destra rispetto al Paese. La diversità comunista era un dato ideologico e morale. La diversità veltroniana diventa oggi un connotato antropologico.
[…]
Forse è quella piazza che porta male alla politica. Al Circo Massimo si concluse, nel momento del bagno di folla, la carriera politica di Cofferati e forse al Circo Massimo è morto ieri il Veltroni riformista. È nato il capo di un partito radicale di massa, che resterà a lungo all’opposizione. Veltroni ha detto in buon italiano quello che Di Pietro avrebbe detto violentando sintassi e grammatica. Ha parlato il linguaggio di Furio Colombo, di Flores D’Arcais, di Travaglio e di Santoro. Ottima audience, fallimento elettorale alle viste. Per i riformisti di sinistra inizia un viaggio catacombale.

They played together

What do you think would happen if, on a late October day, on the Canadian tundra a beautiful young husky came upon a twelve hundred pound (about 550 kg) wild male polar bear which had not eaten for nearly four months? Don’t you think that the husky would be about to become one dead dog? Well, if so you’d be wrong, in fact there is one aspect of the matter to which you’d better pay attention: the playful side ...

Here is a truly amazing video. Please note that, according to the experts, the following story (thanks Joey) is not a unique event, it happens quite often in nature.

Un leader per l'Europa: Nicholas Sarkozy

C’è un vero leader che esce fuori dalla crisi finanziaria, ed è Nicholas Sarkozy. Molti avevano pensato che la sua presidenza fosse un bluff, che non fosse l’uomo pronto a governare l’Europa, e invece …

Lo dice Marina Valensise sul Foglio catodico, e c’è da crederle, a modesto avviso di chi scrive.

Leggo Saviano

Si tiene oggi, a Napoli (al Pan, via dei Mille, ore 16:00) una lettura pubblica di Gomorra, il magnifico libro di Roberto Saviano. L’incontro è stato convocato da due associazioni, “Decidiamo insieme” e “Napolipuntoacapo,” con il supporto logistico e organizzativo della Regione Campania e del Comune di Napoli.

L’evento, spiega Claudio Velardi, “non sarà in alcun senso etichettabile, e sarà solo il primo momento di una mobilitazione più larga, che dovrà da subito coinvolgere i quartieri più periferici e le organizzazioni da anni impegnati sul territorio nella lotta per la legalità e contro la camorra.” Per l’occasione è stato aperto anche un blog: Leggo Saviano. Auguri sinceri per una buona riuscita dell'iniziativa.

America docet

Su Sarah Palin si sono dette e scritte molte cose. Un florilegio unico nel suo genere ed una pietra miliare—molto più nel male che nel bene—nella storia delle campagne elettorali americane. E tuttavia è lei, proprio lei, il fenomeno più interessante—più in positivo, stavolta, e per più di un aspetto, che in negativo—e il segno di una svolta che definire epocale non sarebbe esagerato. Leggere cosa scrive Christian Rocca sul Foglio per credere.

Per parte sua, Barack Obama, primo candidato di colore alla presidenza degli Stati Uniti, nonché quasi certo trionfatore della lunghissima corsa elettorale, potrebbe a buon diritto ritenersi defraudato di qualcosa: di essere «il primo», la novità assoluta, e roba del genere.

In entrambi i casi, comunque, ancora una volta l’America è salita in cattedra. Non occorre essere né un simpatizzante di Mr. Obama, né un fan di Mrs. Palin per prendere atto di questa verità. This is America, folks.

My name is Maximus ...

“My name is Maximus Decimus Meridius, Commander of the Armies of the North, General of the Felix Legions, loyal servant to the true emperor, Marcus Aurelius. Father to a murdered son, husband to a murdered wife. And I will have my vengeance, in this life or the next.”

Is there anyone who doesn’t remember the expression on Russell Crowe's face while pronouncing those words (see the video below)?

Well, not only did Maximus have his vengeance in the movie, he also took his revenge in the real world. In fact his tomb has been found in Rome some days ago! Or better still the tomb which has been found is that of the Ancient Roman aristocrat who inspired Russell Crowe’s character in the film Gladiator. And his real name wasn’t Maximus Decimus Meridius, but Marcus Nonius Macrinus, a proconsul who achieved major victories for Marcus Aurelius, emperor from 161 AD to his death in 180 AD, in the wars against Germanic tribes in northern Europe.

Furthermore, fortunately the real Roman hero doesn’t seem to have ever been sold into slavery. He came from Brescia in northern Italy—almost a next-door neighbour of mine!—and was an intimate friend of the emperor-philosopher.

Read here (also video), here and here to learn more.

Whom I would vote for

A couple of days ago I received a kind message from an American facebook friend of mine. Among other things she wrote that she had taken a look at my blog and was surprised that I am writing about American politics. “I guess it affects the world everywhere,” was her conclusion.

Well, I think she is definitely right. Actually, what happens in the U.S. affects the whole world, and that's why I hope the American voters vote for the best candidate not only for their country but also for the whole world. It is not a simple matter, of course, but it’s a huge responsibility.

Whom would I vote for, if I had to? It’s a matter of intellectual honesty—and of political ethics as well, I suppose—to answer that fateful question … Ok, here we go: in a general sense, being a moderate, by definition I feel frankly equidistant from conservatives and liberals, but I must say that there are some good reasons which, in my view, should induce people like me (moderate, “pro-America,” anti-Fundamentalist, etc) to be “moderately” pro-McCain. So, I think I’d vote for him.

What are those good reasons? Well, I think this Michael Walzer’s piece in Dissent (via normblog) contains the answer. He offers 10 suggestions as to how US foreign policy might change if Barack Obama is elected. And here's one of them:

[S]ome troop withdrawals will be necessary because the Democrats are really committed to a stronger effort in Afghanistan, which means more troops going there and more troops from Europe, or so the Democrats hope. And this might be the place to say that no new American foreign policy will be successful or sustainable unless the administration finds European partners who are prepared, along with the U.S., to take responsibility (some degree of responsibility) for the way the world goes. American multilateralism is going to require a lot of work from the other sides, probably more than our European allies currently have in mind.

Furthermore,

in terms of foreign policy the U.S. will look a lot better if there is an Obama presidency and a large Democratic majority in Congress. But compared to the Clinton years the U.S. has less power and diminished authority today, and the world is more recalcitrant. A different American foreign policy may not make a big difference unless it is accompanied and supported by policy changes in other parts of the world.

Arrested, tortured, released

A good news from Tibet, as Reporters Without Borders informs us, is that Jigme Gyatso, a 39-year old Buddhist monk who was arrested for helping as a cameraman to make a documentary (called Leaving Fear Behind) about the Land of Snows, was released last week. The bad news is that the monk has been severely tortured during the seven months he was held. The interrogators, according to the production company of the film, “beat him continuously and hanged him by his feet from the ceiling for hours and kept him tied for days on the interrogation chair.”

The 25-minute documentary—which is now online—was originally shown to a small group of foreign reporters in secret in Beijing during the Olympics in August. The maker of the fim, Dhondup Wangchen, is still detained in Ershilipu prison in Xining province.

Since the events of March, Chinese authorities have created a climate of fear in the towns and around the monasteries by killing, arresting and torturing many dissidents.

Powell's questionable endorsement

After the weak Washington Post’s endorsement of Obama, I was waiting for a more straightforward one—though widely expected—by the New York Times, but so far nothing of this kind has happened. In the meanwhile an even more influential endorsement of the Democratic party candidate arrived: that of former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. This high-profile backing, as Mark Halperin puts it, comes in “one of the most important symbolic moments” of the campaign, a moment “of great tactical importance.”

Yet, as much as I am still trying to grasp the deepest philosophical meaning of that “for Obama, but barely” WP editorial, I cannot find any very convincing argument in Powell’s endorsement. Perhaps this is because I don’t live in the U.S. and I am not that informed—in spite of all my efforts—about what is happening over there. Or perhaps even former general Colin Powell, like the Washington Post, is too subtle for me. The latter option is the most plausible one, IMHO.

However, when Powell, to justify his decision, says he is disappointed in the choice of Sarah Palin as the Republican vice-presidential nominee, I think there is no reason to complain, whatever your opinion may be on the Governor of Alaska. But when he says that another reason to endorse Obama is the negative tone of McCain’s campaign in the recent weeks (particularly its focus on Obama’s passing relationship with William Ayers and Republican false intimations that Obama was Muslim), well, I am puzzled. In fact, as Rick Moore puts it on his blog,

For one thing, no official of the Republican Party or the McCain campaign ever accused Obama of being a Muslim. That was coming from partisans who were not officials of either the campaign or the party, and it’s disingenuous for Powell to bring that up as a reason for his decision.

As for the “personal” attacks, he continues, they

have been legitimate attempts to point out the weaknesses in Obama's background and associations and fill in the gaps in his resume that the mainstream press won’t do. That’s all part of the campaign process, and if Powell can’t understand or tolerate that, it’s a good thing he never chose to run for elective office.

How could anyone in his right mind not agree with Rick?

Having said that, Colin Powell brings Obama indisputable benefits. One is that

the former Secretary of State and general is sure to block out any chance McCain has of winning the next two or three days of news coverage, as the media swoons over the implications of the choice. It is simple political math: McCain has 15 days to close a substantial gap, and he will now lose at least one fifth of his total remaining time.

Powell's decision brings other clear benefits as well. He is so trusted for his judgment on national security (even in the wake of his role in the current Iraq War) that his confidence in Obama to become commander-in-chief will resonate with many elites and voters. The Democrats' ability to play the Powell card for the next two weeks makes it much harder, even if there is an unexpected international crisis, for Republicans to suggest Obama simply isn't qualified to protect the country. Powell reinforced Obama's qualifications on "Meet the Press": "Senator Obama has demonstrated the kind of calm, patient, intellectual, steady approach to problem-solving that I think we need in this country."

If some voters still see Obama as a nebulous, unknown figure with questionable associations and liberal tendencies that makes them wary of voting for an African-American, Powell's decision may ease their minds. In some ways his image is the perfect complement to Obama's. Unlike the newly arrived Obama, Powell has been an establishment figure of vast experience in the national spotlight for well over a decade on military and international affairs, first as a career Army man, then in a variety of national security roles, culminating in his service as Secretary of State.

I don’t think there’s any question about that.

'I screwed up'

After everything Senator John McCain went through to get to the David Letterman Show yesterday, three weeks after he raised the ire of the generally mild-mannered host by canceling at the last minute ...



Ok, he is likely to lose the election, but would be a winning president, wouldn’t he?

Qui Nuova York ...

Oggi Camillo imperversa nella blogosfera. Una serie di post interminabile, di cui due da non perdere. Uno è un breve rimando a una cosa di Paul Berman, blogger per l’occasione, in cui si parla di un certo Bill Ayers, il quale pare che sia da gran tempo “l’uomo più stupido d’America,” politicamente parlando, è chiaro, oltre che uno scomodo “vicino di casa” del candidato democratico alla presidenza degli Stati Uniti (quest’ultimo detto anche “The One,” per chi ancora non lo sapesse). L’altro è un commento (domani sul Foglio) sul terzo e ultimo dibattito tra Obama e McCain. Questo lo cito abbondantemente qui di seguito. Dimenticavo, oggi il Foglio inaugura anche la sua “versione catodica.” Inutile dire che è sempre di Christian Rocca che si tratta ... [continua a leggere]

McCain's new economic proposals

After Barack Obama’s new programs to help employers, automakers, homeowners, the unemployed, and state and local governments, here are John McCain’s new economic proposals ($52.5 billion) to relieve financial distress on the nation’s seniors, workers and the unemployed.

The proposals come the day after McCain delivered a speech focused more on what he would do as president and less on his recent personal attacks on his rival—better late than never, I’d say!

“We will learn from this crisis,” he said, “to prevent the next one, with much stricter oversight.”

No more wild overleveraging, no more liabilities concealed from the public and from shareholders, no more bundling of assets to maximize profit by assuming insane risks. Those days are over on Wall Street. With new rules of public disclosure and accounting, my reforms will make certain these betrayals of shareholders and the public trust are never repeated.