Is President Obama a Walking Symbol of Democracy?

Is President Obama a Walking Symbol of Democracy?
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
The Obama administration must disassociate the United States from the damaging elements of the Bush legacy on democracy promotion without embracing an overly pessimistic view of democratic decline.The perception that the Bush administration pushed democracy too hard and a sobering global political landscape create pressure to pull back on democracy promotion. But it is crucial that the new administration not overreact to these pressures and step back too far just at the moment when President Obama's election, which showcased American democracy at its most appealing, has captured the global imagination.Carnegie's Thomas Carothers discussed the challenges ahead for democracy promotion with Tom Malinowski of Human Rights Watch and Robert Kagan. With a new framework for democracy promotion that builds on President Obama's bipartisan instincts and measured tone and acknowledges that democratic expansion is fundamentally in the U.S. interest, the new administration can return U.S. democracy promotion to a respected and productive footing - Carnegie Endowment for International Peace