The bottom line as I see it, is that despite the multitude of problems plaguing the world, America’s greatest problem is the instant gratification its citizens have come to depend on. The reality of today’s world is that poverty, disease, disparities between classes… etc. are not going to be eradicated in a single lifetime. Dumm asserts, “given the depth of our problems, what would he [Obama] be able to do, how much patience would the American people have, and how much support would he be able to garner from the Congress?” While this may be a valid question, I think that the larger answer is that it doesn’t matter. Regardless of how much success he is able to glean from his presidency, Obama will not be able to cure the world of all its ills—and neither he, nor any other individual, should be expected to do so. What America and the world really needs is a generation of citizens willing to spend their lives working towards a goal that they will not see fulfilled in a single career. They must put the desire for instant gratification aside and adopt a goal of working towards a better future—even if future citizens will be the one to reap the benefits of our work today.

To the second part of the reflection and the question that inevitably faces the reader; are Dumm’s critiques of Obama’s early proceedings fair? We understand why the author writes with such a critical hand, but is it warranted? One of the first points Dumm raises is Obama’s failure to investigate and possibly try officials from the Bush administration based on their blatant disregard of the Constitution. Dumm believes this exemplifies Obama’s poor decision making. I think it is the opposite. Obama’s conclusion to move forward from the previous administration’s transgressions exemplifies our president’s statement to “[set] aside childish things.” Although “childish” may be an understated word for what occurred, I believe Obama is honestly struggling to rescue America from the deep hole it has dug itself into. If the various allegations made against the Bush administration turn out to be true, the damage to our country’s morale would be unimaginable. To Dumm’s other critiques that I believe are easier to justify. The president’s promise to shut down Gitmo, for example, stains Obama’s diplomacy. Dumm warns the reader not to be fooled by Obama’s “much softer rhetoric… than his fundamentalist Christian predecessor,” because he has really failed in distinguishing his administration from George W. Bush’s. Beyond the policy critiques lies a bigger question sure to face Obama soon. What does this mean for his re-election in 2012? Obama must address these concerns immediately. Soon enough, he will be back on the campaign trail.

Our challenges may be new, the instruments with which we meet them may be new, but those values upon which our success depends, honesty and hard work, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism—these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history,’ he was of course evoking the idea of American exceptionalism, a claim that we are possessed of distinctive values that, in times of crisis, come to the fore, and then inspire us to save our sorry asses.

I agree with Dumm, and Obama that we approach our national problems with the same set of values that we have since the inception of our great country. However, American exceptionalism to me has only been relevant since about the time of the Cold War. These things that are old in my understanding would refer to the qualities and characteristics that make a strong American, not necessarily the overwhelming sense of American exceptionalism.

On another note, at the end of this essay, Dumm touches on “childish” behavior, and its need to stop if we want to maintain this country and this planet. He also talks about how we are a country in debt and even though Obama may be doing some great things, we aren’t climbing as a country on the economic charts. I believe that Dumm is spot on when he quotes Obama to say we must stop our childish behavior, however being in the economic state we are in now, it is difficult to stop our childish ways cold turkey and have something to lean back on, whether this be renewable energy or other problems at hand. Environmental upgrades and solutions can only come with research and expenses. In an ideal world (or a country with a pre-Bush economy) we could stop all of our “childish” behavior, but that’s clearly easier said than done. Needless to say, Obama has his hands full in the next few years.

Mr. Dumm states that “putting away childish things means growing up.” He says that “Growing up means speaking first, sticking your neck out, and saying what is true and just regardless of the consequences for yourself.” Mr. Dumm concludes by noting that the president has yet to do these things, and therefore “has yet to grow up.”

But I do not believe that Mr. Dumm thinks of Obama as infantile.

In fact, given Mr. Dumm’s entire analyses, it seems to me that he himself must (and does) acknowledge the President’s unique sensibility to the responsibilities of being an adult.

But since the issue is not so much the President’s (im)maturity, what is it? Mr. Dumm knows exactly:

…If WE do not learn to live more humble lives…and replace our foolish dreams…WE will suffer…WE will if WE finally face the truth….WE… WE have suffered in order to acquire this strange empire WE are now losing…it is time [THAT WE]… put away childish things.

In other words, the real, and much more complex issue is that Mr. Obama is the political leader of an immature nation, a citizenry composed of a people who, for various reasons, have proudly shut the door on maturity. A people described by Cornell West as “sleepwalkers.”

It does not seem preposterous to suggest that America is seeing the vast majority of its citizens skip adulthood altogether, resulting in what appears to be a society made up of mostly children-adults—i.e., folks who wish to lead forever jejune lives. Individuals who do not wish to take on the responsibilities of democratic adulthood. And while one can understand the hesitation and concerns, in the end, enough of these people create a citizenry that is made up of tall, adulterated children, and, by definition, a corrupt state.

Alone, no President can change the direction of this nation. For that we need a mature citizenry as well. We need people who are not afraid of being critical, we need an army of folks that are committed not only to their own happiness, but to the happiness of others; it will require individuals to be in tune with the misery and suffering of other bodies and things (both at home home, home, and abroad). In short, we need a citizenry committed to retaining a child’s sense of play, curiosity, and compassion. Perhaps most importantly, we need folks that fully accept the difficult responsibilities that come with living in a so-called democratic system.

The addiction to newness that Dumm refers to it is not necessarily a negative component to an American identity; regeneration, re-birth and transformation are all powerfully effective themes for humanity and have inspired projects of immense difficulty and tremendous benefit for many. It is this addiction or attraction to newness that will be useful in the formation of a new American identity, one in which our voice will not be the loudest in a chorus of international concerns and global initiatives. America has been described by Obama and others as being in a time of crisis and at a pivotal point in regards to its own future success and well being. The challenges that America faces however are not simply of internal import, they are of global significance. No one leader or even the entire American populace can single handedly tidy up the economic and environmental injustice that strains the country, for the nature of the modern world is marked by inextricable links and relationships between industrialized nations. American needs to find its place amidst a pantheon of powers and finally relinquish its self prophetic vision as omnipotent savior and benevolent leader of the world.

I will also suggest that decline need not be perceived as so catastrophic an occurrence. Dumm points out that what we need at this point is someone to manage our decline without destroying the world, and I agree with this statement. Yet what if our decline as a superpower that greatly affects the welfare of so many millions worldwide, signals only a more equitable distribution of power and political efficacy? It is an error I think to cast ourselves as the super hero in a world drama trying to reclaim his infallible identity and use his power for good before another country (or superhero) uses it for evil. Prevalent in some of the discourse about the possible decline of America as a super power is the idea of its right to power, despite countless examples of its insufficiency as the world’s sole arbiter of justice and charity. Obama will indeed have to face the possibility of America’s decline as a superpower but this in itself may not be the challenge.

Can America maintain a sense of its exceptionalism in a world in which it is not the mightiest, or is the age of exceptionalism, as the author suggests, passing away altogether? Even if Obama’s task is not to place America once again on a pedestal of benevolence and power, a test that requires his dynamic leadership is still at hand. Obama’s greatest accomplishment could be to help Americans realize the effectiveness of embracing our weaknesses and allying our frailties to the strengths and wisdom of other nations. It is a transformation that does not require us to abandon what is beneficial in our power or what remains valuable in the enduring things of “old”.