Obama needs to roll up his sleeves

Barack Obama is a President, not a Paul McCartney. He has the responsibility to run, and pretty much save, the United States of America.

He is not to rock sold out arena's, nor make records, nor do drugs (even the Commander and Chief was known to hit the bong back in college), and definitely not sleep with random women (only Bill Clinton can seem to pull that off.)

So why was it there a pack of lunatic fans running after him and his limo like teenage girls in those black and white Beatlemania videos? Why is this man's face on t-shirts? Obama is not a celebrity he is a leader of a nation, but even a girl interviewed by the CBC on Parliament Hill the day Obama arrived in our nations capital couldn't control her excitement and exclaimed “It's like I'm at a rock concert! No it's better than a rock concert!”

Well first off, clearly this girl has never been to a rock concert, or a good one at that. Secondly, I know Barack is a young, charismatic leader that is the ‘voice of a new generation' but really? Is an appearance by him in Canada, Chile, Iceland or Australia anything like being front row at a Van Halen show?

Listen, I totally respect the magnitude of Obama's achievement as the first African-American U.S president in history! And I completely cannot help but get goose bumps when the man gets a microphone in front of his face, but this man truly hasn't done anything yet. He is still the inexperienced Senator from Illinois that can make a speech, but can't seem to find anyone that has paid their taxes to put on his team.

Now I wasn't alive for the JFK inspiration. Trudeau's Canadian charisma was also a decade and change before my time. Even Clinton's democratic switch up was oblivious to my youthful existence. But here we are in a time of “change,” and “Yes We Can” make a difference, right? (I'm completely aware that this man is not my leader and he doesn't really affect my everyday life, but when over a million people in Berlin show up to listen to this guy talk before he was even elected, that affects all of our lives.)

I like Obama. I'm glad he won instead of Old Man McCain. But what he won was a big pile of shit, like I'm talking the size from that one scene in the first Jurassic Park movie. Dr. Alan Grant (Sam Neill) and his lovely colleague Dr. Ellie Sattler (Laura Dern) are searching for the sick Triceratops and in the most professional way ever she sticks her arm shoulder deep in that giant pile of dino excrement. They better not give him slack for taking his coat off again, because Obama needs to get arm deep in this piece of shit that he has won. Obama needs to be Dr. Ellie Sattler.

Yes, he has taken bold steps already, promising to close down Gitmo within a year. However, I'm overwhelmed of the idea of a $10.8 trillion dollar debt not being a big deal. $10.8 trillion dollars could buy three Jurassic Park's! How cool would that be? Instead of the war in Iraq and Afghanistan we could have had dinosaurs! Or at least a T-Rex. Personally, it may be because I'm Canadian, but I would rather pay taxes to get a Tyrannosaurus Rex than blow up some country I've never been to, resulting in the deaths of thousands of people I have never met. I wouldn't mind that.

What I do mind is Obama being launched onto this pedestal. He has become a celebrity, endorsed by celebrities. It's amazing that Americans are so excited about what is going on in their country. But when rich movie stars and musicians give Obama the two thumbs up, I'd just like to tell them where they can stick one of those thumbs. It just adds more shit to the pile. And if you are not stopping the problem you are helping it. So if you don't want to help the problem, grab a shovel Oprah.

Editorial opinions or comments expressed in this online edition of Interrobang newspaper reflect the views of the writer and are not those of the Interrobang or the Fanshawe Student Union. The Interrobang is published weekly by the Fanshawe Student Union at 1001 Fanshawe College Blvd., P.O. Box 7005, London, Ontario, N5Y 5R6 and distributed through the Fanshawe College community. Letters to the editor are welcome. All letters are subject to editing and should be emailed. All letters must be accompanied by contact information. Letters can also be submitted online by clicking here.