falklueke.com

Over there at TechCrunch, people discuss whether Twitter is a news source. I think it’s easier than you might think it is.

1. Twitter is a close-to-real time reporting medium.
2. You usually do not follow the guy at the place where “it” happens.
3. You probably do follow a guy that follows a guy that follows a guy… at the place “it” happens.
4. The last guy in the chain will cover “it”. Others will read and spread the word.
5. When Twitterers are not referring to the original source, Twitter is not a news source. It’s just a news channel.
6. If you are interested in making Twitter a crowd source medium, refer to your sources by linking the exact status or at least the original users.

It won’t hurt. I’m sure.

Joe Trippi, one of the most highly reputated online campaigners on earth, asks whether it’s time to establish an equivalent of my.barackobama.com after he succeeded in the US presidential election: a platform my.whitehouse.gov to get people involved into the needs and deeds of the next president of the United States.

I think this is a very nice idea, but I’d recommend to go one step further: my.whitehouse.gov for US citizens, and your.whitehouse.gov for all those who are affected or interested in the US presidents policy making but not being citizens of the United States of America. Never forget: the president of the USA is not only important to US citizens. He also plays a political role on world level.

The world is looking on the United States today: the results of todays US presidential election will surely lead to one thing - a new president of one of the most important, maybe politically still the most important country on earth.

So it’s time to think about the man who’s going to leave the White House now. What do the eight years of George Walker Bush being in charge leave behind for the rest of the world?

First of all, the end of the Bush administration with all it’s failed foreign policies is a broadly welcomed day. Being the winning loser of the first election in 2000 against Al Gore, Bush with his legendary hands-on-anti-intellectualism showed the world what happens, if you give someone a knife without telling him that it’s a dual use good. You can slice bread with it or you can slice people. Regarding the use of knives, there was not much bread in Bushs two terms. Instead of making the world a more safe, more human rights respecting, less problematic and a more free place, he managed to weaken security, causing and awaking strong anti-americanism not only in the countries he attacked. Bush did more for dictatorships around the globe than most dictators do. Maybe he did even have the right opinion (democracy is good, dictatorship is bad, the poor and starving deserve a better life and so on), but his deeds are what he has to be measured on.

Second, no one will miss Bush. The firebrand rhetorics of non-intellectual missionary quality, combined with the inability to interact seriously on international level - which would have meant i. e. to accept negotiations on eye level even though the partners might appear weaker in some way.

Third but nonetheless important, Bush failed on one of the most crucial (no, not crusadial)  issues: finding new approaches to promote democracy and equality in the critical regions of Africa and Asia. Bushs doctrine based on the main power the US without doubts can rely on: geostrategic military power. There’s no place on earth a US president could not reach with military power.  But there is more in the toolbox of politics than just brute force. We got to hope his successor will try out some more and maybe even international instruments. Even though it’s clear that the more the US play on international levels the involvement of countries will be enforced which sat in their couches until now. But in fact, it would have been stupid to accompany the misleading adventures of Bush.

Expectations are high - on both, the electorate and the upcoming president - and low, compared to Bushs political performance. Bushs burdens are heavy weighted, but it’s not impossible to smooth his failures out. You just gotta belive. And by the way: thank you for nothing, Mr. Bush.