Obama Crazy

Britain has gone wild over the inauguration of the new American President. Most papers featured the event on their front covers today and many printed special commemorative sections. The BBC carried the event live all day and featured biographical specials on the President. The themes are predictable: Obama is the new face who will usher in a new order of American-European cooperation; Obama will end foreign wars; Obama will fix the economy; and most importantly, Obama shows that merit can triumph over racial prejudice. In one interview with Britain's only black judge, she disputed the idea that Obama's ascendancy can be repeated in Britain in either her lifetime or the lifetime of her children. Perhaps in three generations, she suggested, Britain might see a black prime minister. As usual, nobody was commenting on the possibility of an Indian prime minister. It is as if this population doesn't exist, even though Indians are the backbone of the nation's service economy. In many way, overcoming that prejudice is Britain's greatest social challenge.