by Daniel Onyango

Created on: May 21, 2010   Last Updated: May 22, 2010

Early this year the world watched with a mixture of amusement and sympathy, a video clip of President Obama, flanked by former Presidents Bill Clinton and George. W. Bush, addressing the press following the tragic earthquake in Haiti. President Obama had summoned the two to help coordinate fundraising for the rebuilding of Haiti.

The amusement may not have been due to the change of roles, nor to the school-boyish demeanour of the now greying G.W.Bush who only 16 months previously, had jetted across Europe and Middle-East in Airforce one on a final victory lap.

The amusement had to do with the vanity of power, and the sympathy to the folly of being identified with an unpopular ideology. One could be forgiven for thinking that George Bush was in the wrong place at the right time.

This new fresh ‘image’ of a more friendly and brotherly America, was being displayed within a backdrop of an old spent force of a meaner past. Make no mistake about political symbolism; Clinton was before Bush the last popular American President, even though America’s ‘tough’ image began to surface during his last lap in office. Therefore, even the mega star Obama still needed Bill Clinton at his side at such a time as this.

During Bush’s ‘victory’ trip, he was, as it were, apologetically explaining away the unpopular decisions made in his foreign policy’s war on terror. In his characteristic tough-talking and confident style, he had said that the world had become less dangerous, and Iraq more liberated with the ousting of Saddam.

Here was a man who despite knowing that he would go down in history as one of the most unpopular US Presidents, nevertheless went on reiterating his policies to his hosts with conviction. In turn, the hosts only listening out of politeness were hoping that the next occupant of that office was going to more humane.

Yet around him was that atmosphere of loneliness, of solely taking responsibility for every decision made, even those previously popular with the neoconservative wing of his party.

He was aware that his zeal had so isolated the Conservative party that the new ‘gang’ of ‘neocons’ preparing to fill his shoes in Washington had actually left him to ‘carry the can’ of his two terms. Led by the party nominee John Mcain, they were campaigning on the platform of change.

The exit of Bush and the entry of Obama ushered in a huge sigh of relief across the globe. Not surprisingly,

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