A Day In Obama La-La Land

The hypocrisy of two state news broadcasters, BBC and Channel 4, waving around their liberal credentials, ramming Obama's hugely expensive inauguration down our throats, while both countries suffer deep recession, reeks of double standards. All that matters is can and will he deliver on his promises.

It seems both broadcasters have lost a questioning edge, preferring instead to massage their pseudo-liberal egos in Obama's well-spun Promised Land. Calm down dears, it's only a presidential inauguration, not the Second Coming.

With the US in the middle of the deepest recession since the depression, filthy rich donors and taxpayers through the government  have reportedly splashed out more than $170 million on today's love-in from the mutual admiration society. 

The UK broadcasters are fawning over their Chosen One and his messages of hope and change, as if folk over here gave a fig about the ceremony. 

Highfalutin' hype is fine for a national newspaper, you pays your money. But being forced to sit through a hugely expensive Obama-fest dressed up as an inauguration is hard to swallow. 

The sheer arrogance is beyond belief. Switch off or over for sure, but this is licence-payers and taxpayers cash they are playing around with. 

Sure it's tremendously significant. Barack Hussein Obama is being sworn in as the president of the free world, the most powerful person on the planet. But that doesn't mean going overboard and buying into all the hype.

Both the BBC and Channel 4 are clinging onto the first "black" president line (sometimes changed to African-American) to justify OTT coverage. He's not, he's mixed race but as if the colour of his skin or exotic background will make any difference. 

Hope is already there for true African-Americans in people like Condoleeza Rice, the first black woman to serve as secretary of state. And there's not even a nod to the question: why isn't there a woman in the White House? 

Already the line has been spun that "America is celebrating" but ask ordinary folk in the US if they are "celebrating" and what they think is important. The answer will come back loud and clear. On both sides of the Atlantic, people are worried sick about jobs, how they are going to make ends meet and how they are going to survive the freezing winter. 

The US elections forced the Orange Party to issue a painful warning - God Help America Now - after voters were taken in by the most powerful and expensive marketing machine in US history.  The Orange Party never bought into the hyped-up hope but wants desperately to be proved wrong for the sake of the American people. 

But America faces a disturbing and unsettled future. Obama talked the talk. The media helped him sell a soap powder dream. With false hope comes shattered dreams, just another Tony Blair. There's a fine line to be drawn between audacity and arrogance.

The long drawn out campaign trail is now a faded memory. It’s easy to forget more than 200 hyped-up promises made by the slick snake-oil salesman, as he delivered the same sound-bites time and again, dressed up as a message of hope and US voters bought into the dream. 

NationalJournal.com is tracking progress made by the Obama administration in keeping its word to the people of America and it's worth dropping by from time to time to see how thing are going or not. 

The favourite promise of the moment is Obama's big fuss about closing down the shameful Guantanamo Bay detention camp. Closure was on the cards during the Bush administration. Now all Obama will say is that he hopes to see GITMO closed down "before the end of his four year term of office". The 'hope' is he will move fast on this one but only time will tell if the 'people's president' lives up to his promises in his Promised Land. 

Meanwhile a snarling Huw Edwards and once respected Jon Snow, milk Obama's lavish inauguration for all it's worth.