During the second presidential debate on October 7, 2008, Barack Obama stated: "If we have Osama bin Laden in our sights and the Pakistani government is unable or unwilling to take them out, then I think we have to act and we will take them out. We will kill bin Laden; we will crush Al Qaida. That has to be our biggest national security priority."
John McCain responded that his hero Teddy Roosevelt used to say talk softly but carry a big stick. "Senator Obama likes to talk loudly," said McCain.
As it turned out, President Obama also carried a big stick. The president did indeed make the hunt for bin Laden a national security priority, and the world's most wanted terrorist was killed by a U.S. special forces unit on May 2, 2011.
Showing posts with label Teddy Roosevelt. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Teddy Roosevelt. Show all posts
Thursday
Tuesday
Change Happens
On September 11, 2008, Barack Obama and John McCain participated in a candidates forum on service. Host Judy Woodruff of PBS asked about Republican presidents who promoted service initiatives.
Mr. Obama noted that Teddy Roosevelt was his "hero" and that Roosevelt understood how to mobilize citizens.
"And that's why, you know, one of the premises of our campaign from the start has been that change happens from the bottom up. It doesn't happen from the top down. It happens because the American people look up and say, we imagine a world not as it is but as it should be, and we are willing to roll up our sleeves and put in the hard work to change this country, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, state by state," said candidate Obama.
As a candidate and as president, Mr. Obama has consistently and repeatedly made the case that change comes from people who stand up. He returned to the theme (and was mocked by some) in his convention speech last week: "You are the change," he said.
Interestingly, one of the most marked examples of bottom-up change is the development of the Tea Party in the years after Obama's election in 2008. A few people imagined a world as they think it should be, put in the hard work to run for office and get elected, and continue to promote their view of the world.
Mr. Obama noted that Teddy Roosevelt was his "hero" and that Roosevelt understood how to mobilize citizens.
"And that's why, you know, one of the premises of our campaign from the start has been that change happens from the bottom up. It doesn't happen from the top down. It happens because the American people look up and say, we imagine a world not as it is but as it should be, and we are willing to roll up our sleeves and put in the hard work to change this country, block by block, neighborhood by neighborhood, state by state," said candidate Obama.
As a candidate and as president, Mr. Obama has consistently and repeatedly made the case that change comes from people who stand up. He returned to the theme (and was mocked by some) in his convention speech last week: "You are the change," he said.
Interestingly, one of the most marked examples of bottom-up change is the development of the Tea Party in the years after Obama's election in 2008. A few people imagined a world as they think it should be, put in the hard work to run for office and get elected, and continue to promote their view of the world.
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