このページはフレーム対応ブラウザ用に作成されています。下のリンクは非フレーム使用ページですのでそちらをご覧ください。
この記事をプリントする
米大統領とオバマの課題
2年に及んだ米大統領選は、民主党のオバマ候補の勝利に終わり、米国は初のアフリカ系アメリカ人大統領の誕生を見ることとなった。
その米国は今、経済危機やぼう大な財政赤字、イランの核問題などを抱えている。
こうした難題に次期大統領がどう対処するのか、見守ろうではないか。
A shift in U.S. politics
I spent most of October and early November obsessively following the U.S. election campaign on the Internet. Like a championship boxing match every punch and counterpunch was exciting to watch.
It seemed the battle for the presidency would never end. But the American people had a date with destiny that would not wait forever, and they went to the polls on Nov. 4.
Finally, at about 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 5, in Japan, CNN jumped in and announced the verdict of the people, declaring Senator Barack Hussein Obama the next U.S. president.
A few minutes later, his Republican opponent, Senator John McCain, conceded and congratulated the first African-American president-elect of the United States.
A historical moment, and whatever one's political affiliation, this election marked an embrace of the electoral process in the U.S., the likes of which I had never seen before.
To be sure, the campaign was long, divisive and filthy enough to draw flies. The man who would be the 44th president of the United States of America was called a communist, socialist, friend of terrorists, unpatriotic, un-American and on and on ad infinitum.
When you look at the situation America finds itself in today, with an economic meltdown in progress, a massive budget deficit, two wars, a hard-line Iran looking to obtain nuclear weapons, the banking bailout, etc., you have to wonder why anyone would want the job.
Still, Senator Obama ran a campaign based on hope, and the charismatic public speaker certainly inspired hope in his followers and received a degree of adulation usually reserved for pop stars.
Does this election mark a paradigm shift in American politics? It looks like it from here. Voters seem to have had enough of the rigid Republican neocon ideology that has left the country and its economy in near shambles.
Much depends on what the president-elect does with his electoral mandate and his party's now sizeable majority in both houses of Congress. Will he be an inspirational leader like Franklin Roosevelt or a disappointment a la Jimmy Carter?
I just hope Americans can overcome the divisive and rancorous campaign and unite to accomplish the daunting tasks ahead, and that Senator Obama, though inexperienced, will use his abundant intelligence and charisma to rise to the occasion.
Obama said in his victory speech: "The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep. We may not get there in one year or even one term, but America - I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you -we as a people will get there."
OK, President-elect Obama, we'll hold you to that, but for now I'll just savor this victory of hope that was such a long time coming.
- obsessively
- 取りつかれたように
- presidency
- 大統領の職
- jumped in and announced
- 速報した
- verdict
- 審判
- Senator
- 上院議員
- conceded
- 敗北を認めた
- president-elect
- 次期大統領
- political affiliation
- 政治的な所属
- embrace of the electoral process in the U.S.
- 米大統領選のプロセスを信じて受け入れること
- the likes of which I had never seen before
- かつて見たことがないような類の
- divisive
- 分裂した
- filthy
- 汚い
- ad infinitum
- 際限なく続いて
- situation America finds itself in today
- 今日の米国が陥っている状況
- economic meltdown
- 経済の破たん
- budget deficit
- 財政赤字
- looking to obtain 〜
- 〜を手に入れようと狙っている
- banking bailout
- 銀行への緊急援助
- adulation
- 過大な称賛
- paradigm shift
- パラダイムの変化
- It looks like it from here
- 私の見解ではそう思える
- Voters
- 有権者
- have had enough of 〜
- 〜にうんざりしている
- rigid
- 柔軟性のない
- neocon
- 新保守主義の
- left 〜 in near shambles
- 〜をほぼ壊滅状態にした
- electoral mandate
- 国民から託された意志
- sizeable
- 相当数の
- inspirational
- やる気を起させるような
- a la 〜
- 〜風の
- rancorous
- 敵対感情のある
- daunting
- 難しい
- rise to the occasion
- 難局に対処する
- one term
- (任期の)一期
- hold you to that
- その言葉を守ってもらおう
- savor
- 〜を満喫する