CamelCase LinkLanguage WikiWalker MarkDilley

I was on the mall that day
when this young man took the oath
with all the ladies ram rod straight
in their formal hats and coats.

My vote was for Cynthia
but I wanted to be
in a place where Black celebrated
its historic victory.

The crowd was impressive, a million strong
as it stood in silent hope
that a page had been turned and change had come
to a nation on a suicidal rope.

I waited like all the rest
for any indication
that this man and his team were more
than just another financial creation.

Now, I’m a white boy with
an Irish Catholic fixation
but this regime has been a train wreck
for my working class nation.

Yes, President Obama,
I pledge to be
as competitive as a Chinese slave
in a Hunan factory?

It’s true
The right can’t stand his colored face
and attack him daily
with Fox News setting the pace.

But his identity
Ain’t good enough for me
and I won’t stay silent
in the face of this travesty.

I knew you wanted to kill Afghans
to show you’re not George Bush;
but then you killed Pakistanis with predator drones
deep in the Hindu Kush.

Oh yes, the intelligent President
how comparatively wonderful you sound
as you bomb and strafe civilians
on yet another foreign ground.

With Summers and Geithner
you signaled your economic stance
as the rest of us lost our homes and jobs
thanks to the bankers you finance.

We know you love the Arabs.
It’s just that their land is an exception.
If Israel wants to settle it,
you veto its protection.

Then there are the Saudis
a friend most fundamental
who occupy Bahrain
cuz with our 5th fleet, it’s elemental.

Now Japan is all radiated
with the type of nukes you back
are you really fucking serious?
you pathetic GE hack.

You made us all nervous
when you renewed indefinite detention,
but Guantanamo’s promised closure,
egads, you forgot to even mention.

But, all your hope, all your change quotations
evaporated for me
when you stripped Private Bradley Manning
of his humanity.

You cited the Pentagon’s “basic standards”
to dismiss P.J. Crowley’s claim
but you failed to mention their origin
where Abu Ghraib made its name.

I want you to resign
like LBJ did that day
when he told Americans sick of war
the political game he wouldn’t play.

There were a hundred thousand
in Madison just the other day
and even though you ignored it
they ain’t going away.

You’re too young to remember
why capital made a pact
there was industrial warfare
and labor was on the attack.

Now your Republican allies
are reversing all state protection
but these short sighted losers
don’t even see the connection.

It wasn’t for labor
that capital made the deal
many of these protections were aimed to calm
the working class’ zeal.

Now, there are new leaders out there
and they will make us proud
when we tell them to step up and lead
our newly politicized crowd.

There is no doubt about it
the right wing will eat itself
but you are no alternative
just a never-been on the shelf.

Dan Leahy

3/16/11