2009 “Yes we might be able to do that. Perhaps we ought to. But again, perhaps we ought not to, let me think about it…. Most important is Cromwell’s advice: Think it possible we may be mistaken!”

January 20, 2009 — drsubrotoroy

President Barack Obama will be in all likelihood as worthy and competent a head of state and head of government as there has been anywhere, and, as he enters his high office, he deserves the good wishes of the world.

The beautiful  State of Hawaii can proudly call him its most famous native son.

South Beretania where he apparently lived some years is a short walk from my Punahou  condo, from which could be seen the  school the new President attended for some time.   He happens to be the first  US President in my lifetime whom I find myself older than in age.

I expect President Obama may well find  governance  to be  much different from the campaign:  requiring more truth and less rhetoric,  more circumspection and  less dogmatism.

“Yes we can” will likely have to give way to something like “Yes we might be able to do that.  Perhaps we ought to.  But again, perhaps we ought not to.  I think I’ll have to think about this one more time.”

Most important might be the words of Oliver Cromwell: “Think it possible you may be mistaken”.

Postscript: yes I met Obama’s mother in the lift at Porteus Hall for about 15 seconds c. 1986-87, and a decade earlier at LSE I found his father’s economics articles in perhaps QJE etc

Subroto Roy January 20 2009

Posted in American democracy, American politics, Barack Obama, Bayesian probability, British history, Obama Administration, Oliver Cromwell, Philosophy, Political Philosophy, Rational decisions, Reason, State of Hawaii, Statesmanship, US Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, Espionage, US politics, US Republicans and Democrats, USA, United States, USA, United States polity. 1 Comment »