President Barack Obama frequently refers to his admiration of the legendary Indian leader, the late Mohandas K. Gandhi. In his recent trip to India he wrote in the guest book at the Mani Bhavan museum referring to Gandhi “He is a hero not just to India, but to the world.”
While it is worthy and normal for a politician to wrap himself in the veil of a highly respected world leader let me suggest that is as far as the comparison goes when it comes to an Obama/Gandhi assessment.
Gandhi was a most effective leader in the non-violent drive for independence for India from the British Empire, but his goal of bringing the clashing religious entities together failed to bear fruit. Just look at the state of hostility that exists between India and Pakistan today. Take a look at a New York Times article by Jim Yardley at the link below, which expands this discussion.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/07/world/asia/07gandhi.html?_r=1&pagewanted=print
Gandhi was a brilliant community organizer, but Obama was and remains a community agitator even after being elected to the presidency on a platform that has evolved into one based upon deceptive change. It is my suggestion that history will be far kinder to Gandhi than it will be to Obama. Only time will tell, but just consider for one moment the standing of Gandhi in his beloved India today these many years following his 1948 assassination compared to Obama’s disapproval rating two short years into his presidency.
If a comparison is to be complimentary, Obama has a huge mountain to climb by the time his leadership term comes to a conclusion. Historians will have much to write about when crafting any similarity to these two men of note. Currently one still represents peace and harmony, and the other stands for achievement of goals at any cost. Think about it at your leisure.
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