The USA is trying to contain China.Obama is sending troops to 35 African countries to limit China's economic progress there.He is also aggravating China by putting more military into the Asia Pacific region.This makes us more of a nuke target.

If you want to really know what's happening, see http://www.globalresearch.ca/

Why would Obama want to have a conversation with the American people?

First of all, he is a pawn of the corporations and the military-industrial complex and an accomplished liar to boot.

Secondly, most of the American people know little or nothing about what their nation is doing in the world: its imperialism, its brutality, its destruction and genocide.

Thirdly, most of the American people are scared of Obama and his assassination squads, Fema camps, torture and rendition, his surveillance of their communications, his violent police forces, his putting people in jail without charge or trial, his maintenance of Gitmo, etc.

Second chance? More of the same and probably much worse!

Good article describing why Barack Obama will need to change his mode of operation in his second term to achieve his policy results. I think overall, he will be more assertive over the next 4 years.

On the positive side, public opinion supports Obama's positions on gun regulation, cessation of foreign wars, and national debt reduction by increased taxation on the wealthy and reduced spending, particularly on defense. As you say, public opinion is always important in politics as practiced in the U.S. No politician wants to be on its wrong side.

On the negative side lies the House, with its GOP majority held in thrall by a large group of hard right ideologues. Lyndon Johnson was a superb negotiator when it came to getting legislation on his great domestic initiatives through Congress. It remains to be seen whether Obama possesses much of Johnson's acumen in this area.

As the saying goes: "the President proposes, but Congress disposes". Obama will have to go over Congress' head and appeal directly to the people to ensure a successful second term.

"As for foreign policy, events yet unknown make predictions hazardous". On the contrary, the US will do as it has consistently done for many decades. It will support despotic regimes (Saudi Arabia et al) while pronouncing on the virtues of democracy and freedom. It will unhesitatingly interfere in the affairs of countless countries, either directly or through one or more of its many proxies (as in Libya, Syria and now Mali and Algeria). It will use the chaos it is instrumental in creating as a justification for intervention, (see above plus Iraq, Afghanistan) and it will use US military power to further the interests of US capitalism, whether it is the military/industrial complex Eisenhower warned against, its allies in the international drug traffic cartels, or the uncontrolled CIA.

You can also be sure that Israel will continue to flaunt international opinion and expand its territory by further annexations of the West Bank and that the US will veto any attempt by the Security Council to call it to account.

Bankers will continue to commit crimes on a massive scale but again there will be no prosecutions. Guantanamo will remain, as will other black torture and rendition sites around the world. War crimes will be committed on a scale that escalates and again no-one in the US will be held accountable.

The authors say that Australia's role in this needs to be debated. I agree. But such debate is predicated upon, inter alia, public knowledge of what is really going on and a forum for such debate. Both aspects are seriously lacking.

The safest bet is that Australia's role on the Security Council will most likely be that of an echo chamber for US pursuit of the policies I have briefly enumerated above. Thus was it ever so.

Interesting isn't it that Obama made no mention of global warming during the election. Now however it is suddenly the main thing on his agenda. It wouldn't be pay back fro his election funders, in the alternate energy industry by any chance now, would it?

Remarkably similar to our lying con lady, except he was wise enough to avoid making any promises he was planning to break.

One thing you can definitely bet on, with no chance of loosing. These lefties are crooked in word a deed. Anyone who trusts one is a "bl00dy idiot".