Obama & Labors of Hercules

Obama has decided to wrap himself in the cloak of The Great Emancipator, Abraham Lincoln. Why he chose such a low threshold of personal comparison, when the ancient Greek hero Hercules was on the shelf just for the taking, remains a mystery to me. Perhaps, as with his recent, cautious and limited stimulus package, he was just too timid to reach for Mt. Olympus.

FIRST LABOR OF HERCULES was to kill the Nemean Lion and bring back its impervious pelt. His determined political strangulation of the Clinton Machine, and later to use its minions in his quest for electoral victory completed his FIRST LABOR.

SECOND LABOR OF HERCULES was to slay the Lemaean Hydra. The Hydra had nine heads and exuded a poisonous breath which killed its victims. Obama overcame the fact that, though he was black, he was just not another on-issue civil rights agitator. He had to: declare his opposition to the radical views of Rev. Wright; prove he was an American citizen and did not pal around with terrorists; show he was decisive enough to be Commander an Chief; demonstrate he was astute, profound enough to carry himself in competitive debates; finance a campaign; be clever enough to to carry off a 50-state strategy; and finally, he had to wear the robes of a Christian and not those of a Muslim. He certainly completed the SECOND LABOR.

THIRD LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the Ceryneian Hind – a super fast deer with golden antlers and hooves of bronze. As with Hercules, it took Obama about three years to capture the presidency and with it, he completed the THIRD LABOR.

FOURTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the Erymanthian Boar – a vicious pig that was laying waste to the fields of Greece. My interpretation of this labor is one of ending wasteful wars and in this case, Obama is yet to succeed. So the FOURTH LABOR remains incomplete.

FIFTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to clean the Augean stables in a single day. The stables were a centuries long accumulation of filth and manure from the sacred bovines. Hercules accomplished the task by rerouting two rivers through the stables, to wash them clean. Obama so far has not demonstrated an intention to clean up the Washington, DC stables. For example, he has picked seriously flawed members for cabinet positions and has no taste for punishing Bush administration officials for possible war crimes. I do not expect Obama to even come close to accomplishing the FIfTH LABOR

SIXTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to kill the Stymphalian Birds that ravished the fruits of mankind for their own satisfaction. I call the these birds todays lobbyists. Obama has had pretensions to rid Washington of this scourge, but has failed. THE SIXTH LABOR is ongoing, but badly faltering.

SEVENTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the Cretan Bull – Hercules captured it by strangling it, but when it was sent the gods, it was freed, much like the way Bomb Bomb McCain was generously freed from marginalization by Obama after he soundly defeated him. THE SEVENTH LABOR was completed.

EIGHTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the the Mares of Diomedes – these mares in the gods' stable breathed fire and devoured humans – Hercules bound their mouths and contained them much as Obama has thus far done to Congress... So the Eighth Labor is accomplished for the time being.

NINTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the Amazon's Queen Hippolyta's golden girdle – mission accomplished by having Hillary Clinton work for him as Secretary of State. NINTH LABOR finished.

TENTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the sacred cattle of Geron. For Obama, these sacred cattle constitute the members of the US Supreme Court. At this stage he cannot get to the herd unless their is a vacancy; so the TENTH LABOR is on hold.

ELEVENTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to steal the golden apples of Hesperides. He did just that by seizing the presidency, the head of the Democratic Party and the role of Commander and Chief. The ELEVENTH LABOR is completed.

TWELFTH LABOR OF HERCULES was to capture the three-headed dog Cerberus which means he must control Congress, the Executive and Judicial Branches of the US government; so far he has two of these heads under control. Justice still escapes him. TWELFTH LABOR is incomplete.

By now you must realize historical and mythical metaphors used to draw conclusions on Obama's rule are preposterous. None of these settings conform to Obama's world situation. For him to be Lincoln, the Confederacy must rise again. For him to have the character and physical strength of Hercules, he must have begun life by strangling serpents in his crib, sent by the gods to destroy him.

Obama has been in office less than a 100 days. His energy and intellect has left bungler Bush in the dust. Whether he can ride to the rescue of our country, delivering it from economic disaster remains to be judged by history. At least he has the spunk to try, rather than as have the stalwart Republicans, ride helplessly on a foolishly perceived cyclical wave. Colonel Robert E Bartos USA Ret