Obama's Reception

Dear Victorious,

What do you make of President Obama's reception in London this week? It seems the Brits like him better than the Americans do? Is he really that good of a statesman?

Watchful American

Dear Watchful,

I only saw some of the media coverage about Obama's trip to England. Quite honestly, it seemed that the British people were much more enthusiastic about Michelle Obama than they were about Barack Obama!

Leadership is an interesting phenomenon. It is quite possible for someone in a leadership role to have favor with people without meeting any particular leadership criteria. I'm not sure if that's the case here, but I suspect it could be.

To be sure, it is too soon to determine whether Barack Obama is a good national leader or a good world leader. He simply hasn't enough performance to observe. But by the world's standards, he may represent something of a royal standard, especially in the United Kingdom. You see, the British are used to the queen. She doesn't do much of anything, really. But she provides a moral compass that gives people hope. (I experienced that myself when I lived there.) In many respects, I believe Barack and Michelle Obama are perceived similarly.

That the enthusiasm for them in Britain is even greater than in America probably stems from the fact that the British are used to seeing people in this role. Americans? Not so much (unless they're entertainers). Consider how Americans treat entertainers versus politicians. Then compare that to how the British treat entertainers versus how they treat royalty. We simply have no correlation in American culture.

What do I make of the reception the Obama's got in England? I think the British like them. I think the British are hopeful that they will put America back into a world leadership role. But most of all I think they are refreshing change from our most recent president - and the world was certainly ready for that!