Obama Snare

The State of the Union Speech proved once again that Obama is the coolest cat on the planet.  Far cooler than John Boehner.  I mean who in recent politics even comes close...Bill Clinton maybe.  Although his choice in women tends to damper down his coolness a bit, wouldn't you agree?  What did I really think of the speech?  Well, it was cordial and upbeat.  It was refreshing to see Republicans and Democrats holding hands and kum-ba-yahing at every applause point.  Obama did seem to have some specific ideas in mind to get the economy rolling again.  However, all of this talk about making "America" more competitive is a bit disconcerting.  I just don't buy into the idea that the only way for the U.S. to get out of its current economic slump is to figure out how to clobber other countries, from an economically competitive viewpoint, that is.  Why can't the idea be more along the lines of being cooperative, as opposed to competitive.  However, competition is ingrained in the U.S. psyche.  From a kid's first organized sports exposure, we are taught that competition is the way to excel, to achieve. We must win...which means someone else must lose.  It is ingrained in our politics as well.  Despite the show of cooperation, the competitive spirit immediately reigned supreme with not one, but two, speeches delivered in response and in direct opposition to Obama's.  Borders are a fictitious and often malicious construct of man and the idea that one nation has to win at the expense of all others outside its own borders is in my opinion destructive of the collective good.  And by collective good I mean of us all....everywhere, regardless of invisible borders that so often have us at each other's throats.  So, while I always enjoy an Obama speech and this years State of the Union was no exception, I would like to hear more words of global cooperation rather than just a shallow and hollow demonstration of it that probably won't last through the first opportunity for the Republicans to clobber Obama in his feeble and politically motivated attempt to appease them.  Obama care may ultimately become Obama's snare if he keeps that up.