Holla.

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a Kenyan perspective…

As the year 2009 beckons, the global spotlight  is on the White House handover ceremony slated for the 20^th of January 2009. It will be a historic and a defining moment for Obama as the first African-American President of a super power nation.

Yet the legacy bequeathed on him by his predecessor is deeply entrenched on “abhorrence”……. much hatred by the oil-rich nations.

The Martin Luther King slogan “I have a dream” has been fulfilled. The journey has begun however, murky and winding it seems Obama is determined to fulfill the dream to the dot.

During the transition period he has adopted a style -that endears him to many, as a man daring and ready to turn America into a dream nation.

The world focus -is shifting slowly and stealthily on Washington as the year comes to its extremity. It will be a time for the White House to say good-bye to President George Bush, as it welcomes a new man-Black in color but not mind to the White house.

President George Bush, who has ruled for a second term has earned reputation as the man with unique leadership fashion but with more foes than allies.

Those who hate him most…

The president robustly threw a bold stare at the audience, paused and with their full attention on his next statement, he blurted out: “address other presidents as if he the devil came yesterday! And smells of sulphur till today…. How can he address other presidents as if he owns the world?”

That was President Hugo Chavez of oil rich Venezuela addressing the UN General Assembly on just who he thought US President George Walker Bush is. Bush had addressed the same meeting the day before.

Chavez wasn’t through. He stunned delegates again when he acknowledged that he had ‘a warm relationship” with former president Bill Clinton. But on Bush, he bellowed: “With this cowboy, you can’t even talk…. He even stole the elections.”

Chavez, whose country is the fourth largest exporter of oil to the US, is just one of the people who have never agreed with Bush on anything. At one time, he blamed the UN for being an “arm of the US” and even proposed to offer Caracas, the Venezuelan capital, to be its headquarters as “the way it (UN) is, there is no way to save it 9 from US influence).”

Definitely the most powerful man alive, Bush has stepped on the toes of many presidents, especially from oil-rich countries and the utmost from the Islamic countries. In the process, he has earned so many enemies that include journalists.

A fortnight ago, he ducked two shoes hurled at him by an enraged Iraqi journalist, Muntadar al-Zaidi of Al-Baghdadiya TV, who called him a “dog”, during a press conference alongside Prime Minister Nouri al Maliki.

Again, Chavez was the first and only international leader to publicly praise the journalist’s attack. “What courage!” he said in Zaidi’s onslaught. Though he said it was “very funny”, he added that “the action was courageous and acting for the Iraq people.”

Bush is the man Iraqis blame for all misery they are suffering since the US invaded the country five years ago.

Early this month, he regretted having waged a war in Iraq and said it was the most unfortunate event in his eight -year rule. Perceived to be overbearing and egoistic, he has come in conflict with several world leaders, especially those who think Western powers should not interfere with their own internal affairs.

He attacked Iraq in 2003, accusing strong man Saddam Hussein of making chemical and biological weapons and having links with the al Qaeda terrorist’s network. He was so keen to “distort” intelligence reports to justify the attack that he is said to have ignored the  plea by Saddam that he could go to exile if compensated with $1 equivalent to (Ksh 80) billion.

“Saddam won’t change. Time has come to get rid of him. That’s the way it is,” he had said after a meeting in Texas with then Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar where the offer plea was presented.

And in a televised address to Americas in March, 2003, Bush urged the Iraq military not to defend their commander -in -chief.

“Do not fight for a dying regime. Saddam is not worth your own life,” he added, ‘This man (Saddam) is insane. He is a dangerous man. We should force him out now.”

In the year 2002, he had expressed hatred for Saddam in the Senate and tried to justify war against him, “After all, this is the guy who tried to kill my father.” Bush Senior, who helped to drive Iraq forces out of Kuwait in 1990, was targeted during a visit to Kuwait during the Bill Clinton’s tenure.

Former Cuban strongman Fidel Castro also had very little respect for Bush. He was more vicious against the man he said had fooled some people all the time, and all people part of the time but could never fool all the people all the time.

Castro was enraged when Bush declared: “Long live free Cuba”, after Castro transferred power to his brother Raul.

A frail Castro said from his hospital bed: “I can’t imagine such words from the mouth of a US President, a whole 139 years later.” Cuba gained independence from Spain in 1878. When Bush said in 2004 that Cuba was a growing sex tourist destination, Castro wrote a letter to him accusing the US of playing the Holy God nation while it had a more thriving sexual and human trafficking industry.

Whether Obama will build the lost trust of his predecessor’s foes remains unanswered and it is wait and see as the swearing in ceremony draws near and as Bush prepares to say goodbye to the White House Job and to being the President of United States of America.

This story is filed under: Politics