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We won’t be at the top of Obama’s packed in-tray

By Lindy McDowell
Wednesday, 21 January 2009

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It is his week and it is his time. And while it may well be unimaginable that any human being could ever live up to the hype surrounding the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Hussein Obama, equally it is undeniable that the first black man to win the keys to the White House has opened the door on to what we all hope will be a new era of peace and possibility.

The problem in future will be with the specifics.

For now it’s permissible to sound like Johnny Mathis doing his When a Child is Born stuff.

‘A ray of hope flitters in the sky

A shiny star lights up way up high

All across the land dawns a brand new morn ...’

And this has come to pass because an international political superstar is born.

To gauge how Obama has captured the attention and the imagination of the world you’ve only to Google his name. You get somewhere in the region of 100m results. With ‘George Bush’ — and it could be either son or father with all those years in office between them — you get not even half of that. With Gordon Brown a mere tenth.

Every nation has its own twist on the Obama story. Its own expectations of the man.

In Ireland north and south we’re concerned as ever about identifying (and making money from) a potential Obama homestead.

He’s a US president after all. There has to be a local link surely. Even if his da did come from Kenya. Similarly and no less arrogantly, there’s the old obsession about attempting to analyse what might be his policy on Northern Ireland. We automatically assume he’ll have one. Never mind the pressing matters of global economic meltdown, global warming, war and Bin Laden.

We confidently imagine the issue to the forefront of Obama’s mind will be the question of whether, if he is to invite Gregory Campbell and Barry McElduff to the White House on St Paddy’s Day, he’ll have to balance that by also asking Alex Attwood, Michael McGimpsey and possibly Naomi Long.

And the incoming Leader of the Free World thought Afghanistan could be tricky ?

Are we not kidding ourselves a little here?

The Northern Ireland thing is, as far as the rest of the world is concerned, now seen as sorted.

We have been removed from the presidential in-tray. We’ve even gone past the cheerleading stage. We are regarded as having moved on from the point where we required frequent back-slapping bursts of encouragement to help us stick with the peace processing thing.

We are yesterday’s crisis.

And tomorrow’s man will have other crises to concern him. His focus — outside of America and its economic woes — will be on very different, much more major conflicts.

True, he may make the odd pointed statement on our politics in the coming years.

But like Gerry Adams’ invitation to the inauguration (it came from a Congressman friend, not from the president himself) we shouldn’t really kid ourselves it amounts to much. Those who previously enjoyed the fawning attention of the White House — their day has gone.

Northern Ireland in the Obama era? Frankly, we’re history.

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Being an American, and watching the fawning of this guy. Very sickening to me, that so many fell for the platitudes and twisted idealism that is counter-American. Hearing about him in every speech he makes, detracting from the important event he is at.
The America, that some of still inspire to, has changed. To paraphrase your quote "The America of our Founders in the Obama era? Frankly, we’re history"

Posted by Gary | 24.05.09, 19:23 GMT

Wrong Lindy. The President graciously and positively mentioned N. Ireland in an important speech on his very first week in office. As NI becomes an economic basket case, it has one useful commodity left to export to the world...'the peace process'. However it is up to our politicians, newspaper pundits and both communities to capitalise on it and not screw it up.

Posted by Tom | 23.01.09, 22:54 GMT

Move it on brian, young lad. Your attitude belongs in the hand-out era of the past. Lindy is simply stating facts that times are tougher for this part of the world - hardly an irrelevant article. Now get back to work, assuming you have a job?

Posted by Plum | 22.01.09, 12:08 GMT

Northern where?

You're dead right. Most of us are clinging to our jobs, houses and last few dollars in the bank. Time to row your own boat over there and if you have any big money people, we could do with a little bit of investment of your pound notes over here!

Posted by Roy | 21.01.09, 17:45 GMT

"Northern Ireland in the Obama era? Frankly, we're history"

And I'm glad to say I wouldn't have it any other way. Better a part of history than continuing with the Troubles.

Amen to that.

Posted by S | 21.01.09, 15:36 GMT

Plum (for that is what your are),

Do you have a problem with me being a fan of Gerry? I really don't care if you do, at any rate.

The hilarious part of this article is the sad little dig Lindy McDowell had to make regarding Gerry's invitation to the inauguration. So what how it came about...was anyone offering Lindy a ticket? Don't think so.

As for us not featuring on America's agenda anymore..well, good. What's the problem, Lindy? And wasn't Gerry a critical part of the whole peace process?

An utterly irrelevant article.

Posted by brian | 21.01.09, 15:16 GMT

We're not likely to feature too heavily in Gordon Brown's in-tray either.

What are you on about, brian? Bit of a Gerry fan, are you? Get real.

Posted by Plum | 21.01.09, 14:01 GMT

It's good we're not in Obama's in-tray. Does that mean he won't visit, bringing the traffic to a standstill? I suppose we can do that on our own - either with a few inches of snow or rainfall on the Westlink olympic pool! We've come a long way...

Posted by The Wobbly One | 21.01.09, 11:38 GMT

We won't even be in the same room as Obam's in-tray.

Posted by T J McClean | 21.01.09, 11:10 GMT

"But like Gerry Adams’ invitation to the inauguration (it came from a Congressman friend, not from the president himself) we shouldn’t really kid ourselves it amounts to much. "

Yeah, Lindy...sure you didn't even bother taking up your invitation, isn't that right?

Posted by brian | 21.01.09, 09:55 GMT