8 Comments

• Jayne Mansfield 10th Jun '16 - 6:50pm

  Absolutely the coolest of the cool.

• Nick Baird 10th Jun '16 - 7:50pm

  Now he doesn’t have to worry about being elected again, he seems more like the person he was before he was elected…..

• George Kendall 10th Jun '16 - 8:21pm

  I’m so going to miss him as President.

• Tsar Nicholas 10th Jun '16 - 8:30pm

  I’m sorry Paul, but this man compiles a weekly kill list and sends predator drones to kill innocent people. Sure, others would do it too, but I don’t see him as being cool in any way, shape or form.

• Phil Beesley 10th Jun '16 - 8:32pm

  Paul Walter: “There are not many politicians who could pull this off…”

  Or perhaps any.

  The bearded bloke in a hat, behind Obama, is really comfortable. I assume that he is a professional musician. Obama and the programme presenter are as rigid as cricket bats.

  I don’t reckon this is as cool as the Jimi Hendrix photos with Jeremy Thorpe.

• Stevan Rose 10th Jun '16 - 9:51pm

  Not many politicians could pull this off? Could I remind you of Neil Kinnock’s entry into the world of musical entertainment with Tracey Ullman. And still we rejected him as PM in favour of John Major. Not sure I go along with Tsar Nicholas’s assessment but whilst socially liberal this is a man who renewed the PATRIOT Act, still believes in the death penalty, and his gun control policy is limited. Over here he’d be close to George Osborne on the political spectrum. If only we could swap.

  He’s definitely cool as politicians go. But we aren’t providing much competition, Kinnock being the exception. Ed “am I tussy nuts” Miliband vs Call Me Dave The Posh Used Car Salesman was our last less than inspiring choice.

  “Or perhaps any”? Maybe not currently living but there’s one who could have pulled it off when living. Mandela.

• Gordon 11th Jun '16 - 1:21pm

  Such a talented man – but what a tragedy he has used his abilities in the service of the Military Industrial Complex (MIC), predatory finance and other big money players and not humanity. His speaks well but his record is appalling. Just to take a few highlights lowlights.

  Not one senior finance executive has been prosecuted in connection with the fraud-driven financial meltdown. Once important Obama Wall Street fundraiser got away with “vapourising” over $1 billion of funds from client accounts in the firm he headed when he illegally used them to make a bad bet. He hasn’t been charged with anything. That’s like a solicitor taking the proceeds from recent house sales to fund his gambling habit.

  The economy is not fixed, only Wall Street. Most of the jobs created under Obama are low quality and insecure. Why else does anyone suppose the outsider candidates, Sanders and Trump, have done so well?

  His Affordable Care Act (aka ‘Obamacare’) was written by a lobbyist for the medical insurance industry and is almost entirely a “gimme” to that industry. Insurers are allowed to set what we would call the policy excess so high that taking up the insurance when they need it is unaffordable for millions. Premiums are rising at double-digit rates year on year and many informed observers think it’s in an actuarial death spiral.

  On trade Obama’s own trade commission puts the gain in US income from the TPP by 2032 as a miniscule 0.23% (that’s ignoring its distribution – most wouldn’t see even that tiny benefit) and employment would be 128,000 higher – that would rate as poor for a single month. More realistic estimates say it would be catastrophic for most people – though good for the 0.01% (which is a clue about who Obama has really worked for as President).

  https://usitc.gov/press_room/news_release/2016/er0518ll597.htm

  Bottom line, candidate Obama promised hope and change; President Obama delivered for his wealthy backers. A wolf in sheep’s clothing.

• Richard Underhill 13th Jun '16 - 12:13pm

  The work is never finished and it is about time the USA has a female leader.