President Obama has always fancied himself as similar to Superman. One of his most iconic photos from the 2008 campaign was him standing, arms akimbo, in front of a statue of Superman in a similar pose.
President Obama has always fancied himself as similar to Superman. One of his most iconic photos from the 2008 campaign was him standing, arms akimbo, in front of a statue of Superman in a similar pose. Famous comic artist Alex Ross’s T-Shirt featuring a Clark Kent-like Obama opening his suit to reveal a gigantic “O” across his chest was a best seller. At the Alfred E. Smith Memorial Dinner last October, Obama joked with the audience that he, like Superman, was from Krypton and here to save the planet.
Of course Superman does have other jobs besides battling evil geniuses like Lex Luther and rescuing airplanes – his other job is to protect plucky independent reporter Lois Lane, who was always getting herself into trouble. However this is where the comparison must stop because if President Obama is smart, he’s going to have to let the real life Lois Lane fend for herself for awhile.
Over the first six months of this year, three different “Lois Lanes” have been held hostage by members of the “Axis of Evil," (Iran and North Korea) for various crimes that they may or may not have actually committed. Iranian American journalist Roxana Saberi was jailed then released for spying in Iran after only a couple of months. U.S diplomacy proved successful and Lois Lane number One was saved. The second rescues might prove more difficult.
Laura Ling and Euna Lee are two journalists who were arrested by North Korean authorities in March for supposedly illegally entering the country and committing unspecified “hostile acts” against the state. Both journalists were working for former Vice President Al Gore’s “Current” cable news network on a story about Chinese refugees and insist that not only were they not in North Korea but that they meant no harm in their reporting. In a sham trial that was not made open to international observers or the press, both women were sentenced to 12 years of “reform through hard labor” and have been held in an undisclosed location ever since. The Axis of Evil has struck again, and this time the president may have to bring in a whole league of support in order to save these two women, if he even decides that it’s necessary.
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