Jimmy Carter's Second Term

Noman was struck by the irony of recent events in the Moslem world, as Hosni Mubarak fled Egypt on the 32nd anniversary of the Shah of Iran's downfall.  Barack (without the "Mu") has been pouring gasoline on the fire beneath the unpopular Egyptian strongman for the past couple of weeks with Demosthenean perorations about democracy, peaceful protesters and leaders having to listen to the will of the people.  Noman only wishes that he'd reacted similarly to the tea parties, which sprang up to protest his trillion dollar bailout of whoever got that money, his odoriferous healthcare stratagems and the like, all against the will of the people who have to pay their own bills, plus his, despite precarious economic circumstances.  In fact, the thuggish actions of pro Mubarak counter protestors the other night reminded Noman of Democratic apparatchiks who showed up to impose discipline at town hall meetings two summers back.  But, it's the Iranian protesters who in 2009 decried election theft, and oppression that Hosni Mubarak could only dream of that really come to mind.  As Noman recalls, we left the Iranian protesters to their own devices while their government ruthlessly crushed them.  No win for democracy, human rights and international norms there; no bending of the arc of history towards justice.  Noman appreciates the President's eloquent words spoken during the Egyptian crisis on behalf of noble principles such as self-determination, non-interference from foreigners (meaning us) and the like.  Nevertheless, as international events unfold in hostile, turbulent regions of the world, and chronic domestic unemployment compounds with impending global inflation, Noman says that President Barack Obama looks a lot like President Jimmy Carter, but on steroids.