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Obama’s comeback

Posted March. 03, 2017 07:09,   

Updated March. 03, 2017 07:15

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In France, an online signature-collecting campaign (obama2017.fr) to import former U.S. President Barack Obama is in full swing. The drive aims to field Mr. Obama as a presidential candidate for France, expressing opposition to the existing candidates in the country. So far, 44,600 people have signed for the cause, with the goal to reach the one million mark by mid-March. A similar drive was pushed for in Britain last year to nominate Mr. Obama as Britain’s next prime minister, after the referendum on Brexit was finished.

Currently, there are four former U.S. presidents that are alive. George W. Bush came back to his hometown, shouldering the blames for the wars in Iraq and global financial crisis, before penning an autobiography titled “Decision Point” and opening a Bush memorial hall. His father George H.W. Bush built a library and went on lecture circuits after retirement. Jimmy Carter participated in the “Habitat” program after leaving office, and met with former North Korean leader Kim Il Sung for the first time to do so as a former U.S. president. The only former president that came back to any semblance to politics was Bill Clinton, who supported his wife Hillary Clinton during her campaign trails.

Aged only 55, Mr. Obama is still young for a former president. Having recently inked a 65-million-dollar book deal for their autobiography, he and his wife Michelle Obama do not have to worry about retirement either. Obama’s approval rating still stands around 50 percent, hovering above that of incumbent President Donald Trump. News is surfacing that Barack Obama is considering coming back to politics after leaving the White House on January 20 upon Trump’s inauguration. He is raising funds to support the National Democratic Redistricting Committee where former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, is the chair, while discussing ways for cooperation with Congressmen of the Democratic Party. “He is coming. And he is ready to start again,” said Holder, hinting at Obama’s comeback.

It appears that Obama decided that he could not be sitting on his hands anymore, with his 8-year legacy characterized by Obamacare and his immigration policy facing abolition overnight before his eyes. His return to politics naturally heralds conflicts with Trump’s White House. Given Washington’s long-standing tradition where former presidents refrain from denouncing the incumbent one, it would be noteworthy to see how Barack Obama will mince his words against Donald Trump.