Barack Obama and Winston S. Churchill

Today, the Associated Press has an article covering President Obama's success in getting the U.S. Congress to pass his $787 billion economic stimulus package.

The President is quoted as saying: "This historic step won't be the end of what we do to turn our economy around, but rather the beginning..."

Meanwhile, The Daily Telegraph reports that President Obama has returned to the British Embassy the bust of Sir Winston Churchill (by Sir Jacob Epstein) that was loaned to President George W. Bush in 2001, the loan being extended for the duration of President Bush's second term in office.  The Telegraph article suggests that President Obama is more likely to draw inspiration from President Abraham Lincoln than from the former British Prime Minister and wartime leader.

The bust of Churchill by Sir Jacob Epstein

Image source: here

Now I cannot imagine that President Obama - or even any of his advisors - reads my blog (!) but I should like to use this platform to draw attention to a quote from Churchill (that so-frequently quoted man).  The quote comes from late 1942 following the second battle of El Alamein, in which British and British Empire and Commonwealth Forces commanded by General (later Field-Marshal) Montgomery defeated Generalfeldmarschall Rommel's Afrika Korps.  Churchill said of the victory: "This is not the end, it is not even the beginning of the end, but it is perhaps, the end of the beginning."

Regardless of his feelings concerning Churchill, the President may wish to reflect on these words in regard to his economic stimulus package.

Until the next time.

President Lincoln's 200th Birthday

Image source: Wikipedia

The United States are gearing up to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the birth of one of their most famous presidents, Abraham Lincoln.

Lincoln was born on 12th February 1809 in Kentucky. Whilst he was young, his family moved to Indiana and later to Illinois. Nevertheless, many states are claiming their own special association with the great man as this article discusses.

Lincoln, a founding father of the Republican Party, was undeniably a great and good man: he spent nearly all of his adult life fighting against slavery. And in office running the the Civil War, he proved to be a fine commander-in-chief. One small example: he replaced General Meade with General Ulysses Simpson Grant (later a president himself of course). There was plenty of jealousy and backbiting amongst the Union generals and complaints reached the President: "Sir, he [Grant] drinks!" someone told Lincoln. Lincoln replied "Find out which brand and send a bottle to each of my generals."

The Lincoln memorial. Image source: here

The International Herald Tribune is one of my favourite sources, as my readers may have noticed. I should add that I have great respect for American journalism; the "dumbing-down" of English newspapers is quickly put into sharp relief when one takes the time to read any of the great American papers - the IHT, Boston Globe, Washington Post, New York Times etc., etc.

This article from the IHT, beautifully written, gives a superb overview of Lincoln, and from an attractive angle: the piece, credited to the Associated Press is centred around the Lincoln Memorial.

Lincoln, the 16th President of the United States of America, has been mentioned quite often recently in connexion with the election of the 44th President.

As the French say, nous verrons.

Until the next time.