The Great Speech

I've never been one of those zealot pro-Americans. Love it or leave it. America as center of the world. etc. In fact, I've always felt more at one with the European world then with my own country. But now, finally, we have a man who personifies all that this country is, but hasn't been for so many years.

If you haven't watched or listened to President Obama's speech from last Thursday in Cairo, Egypt, I urge you to spend 55 minutes to be truly proud of America and all she stands for. I think it will go down in history as one of the greatest overtures an American president has ever made to a sector of the world, in this case, the Muslim community. He is humble. He is respectful. At the same time, he is hard hitting and to the point. By putting his views out there and making a super salient case that is in everybody's self interest, he invites anyone to make a counter arguement. Beutifully done, Mr. President. Bravo.

What continues to drive me crazy, is the response his speech got in the U.S. mainstream media. All I saw were articles about how he uses the Internet so well to promote himself. Who gives a damn about that, man? Talk about the content!

On the other hand, I continue to applaud my country for having the strength and the fortitude to elect a black man as president of the United States. In some ways, I don't think it has really sunk in. We have an African-American holding the highest office in the land. It almost means that the days of racial discrimination are over. How can anyone now, point at the US and say, "You discriminate against minorities." Fine, if you believe that, go tell it to our black president. The symbolism alone could change the world. But guess what, on top of his physical characteristics, he's the smartest man ever to hold that office in my lifetime. What a combination. The man is taking the high road and remaining open to anyone who has another "way." If you can prove that another "way" is better then his way, I have no doubts, he will change course. No more hyperbole. No more party shanagins. No more power plays. Just a strict meritocracy of ideas.

I've heard fellow citizens say things like, "oh he's just another overly smart Harvard-type, who makes good speeches." So are you saying you don't want to have the smartest possible president you can have who values the rule of law, moral responsibilities and peace? That's like saying, "I don't want that guy to bat clean-up, he's too good a hitter." Clear your head and think anew. We all find it easier to fall back into old ways of thinking. America's self interest. Military might. Political wins. But those days are over (Thank God). Now we must think in terms of empathy, giving before taking and realizing that our own way of life is not the only valid way to live.

I would even go so far as to say that, Barack Obama's understanding of the world was symbolized and manifested in his ability and love for the game of poker. In poker, you absolutely must put yourself into the other person's shoes if you want to win. You must see the world through their eyes. If you don't, in the end, you will lose and in today's tumultuous world there is much more at stake then a few chips.

The Big Game

Barack Obama plays poker. By all accounts, he seems to love the game. Now that he is officially President, lets analyze his playing style. How one plays poker says much about the kind of a person he is.

From all the accounts I could find, the president is what we in the poker world would call "a rock." He never enters a pot with a mediocre or worse hand. He waits patiently for a playable hand. When he is in, many of his fellow lawmakers (his opponents) say, he is a fiscal conservative. If he is confronted with a big bet and his hand did not improve or did not improve much, he'll fold. He doesn't chase straights or flushes. He simply bows out and looks for a better spot to get his money in. Once in a great while, he'll bluff and it seems he is almost always effective when he does so. But for the most part, his opponents say "when Barack is in a hand, he's usually got the goods."

To me, it seems the President is an intermediate player. Beginners are tempted to chase cards. They stay in a hand as long as there are some cards that could come out that would make them a winner. They fall in love with big starting hands and are slow to give them up. Pros love these players because they sweeten the pots and they lose most of them. Our President seems to understand this propensity. I would say he is more of an "ABC" player. He bases most of his decisions on the odds, the mathematical part of poker. If the odds say that he most likely has the best hand, he'll bet or call or even raise. Otherwise he mucks.

I think this bodes well for our country. We want a leader who is calculating, careful and fiscally conservative. We want someone who steps out only when he is sure that he is right. If it turned out that the President bluffed a lot, that would be bad. The bluff is a weapon that should be used sparingly and only when you have built a convincing story around that bluff. President Obama seems to understand that. He bluffs when he knows his opponents cannot call. I like that. It's the first step to moving his playing skills to the next level. Really good players find just the right proportion between playing ABC and bluffing. Just enough so that your really big hands get called and just enough so that the bluffs are folded to. This could be the toughest skill to master. Right now, it seems Mr. President bluffs too little.

I'm a little concerned that the President doesn't play the players as much as he could. In big games, this is critical. If your playing a loose, wild player, try to have the goods, but the goods don't have to be as good as you would need against a tight player (like the President). I hope the President focuses more on the psychological side of the game as he pursues poker greatness. Think more about who he is up against and slightly less about the cards he is holding. Think of the game as on a sliding scale constantly modulating your moves based on what you think your opponents are thinking. Confuse them. Play with their head. Keep them off guard. Don't always do what is expected.

But most crucially, please Mr. President, don't go "all in" unless it is absolutely necessary. I'm sure George Bush would like to have his all in bet back against Iraq. Oh, one more thing Mr. President, don't forget to read my earlier blog on how to fix the economy. You're welcome.