Obama supporters rode wave of their own making

RE “NO malaise, please’’ by Tom Keane (Op-ed, Aug. 24): As an enthusiastic Barack Obama supporter and a lifelong liberal, I cheered when he was elected. I said to an old friend, “At last we have a president who will no longer regard war as the answer to world problems, a president who cares about the environment, a president who respects civil liberty,’’ and so on.

My friend responded, “Obama doesn’t walk on water.’’

My friend was right. We believed that the ideals he uttered as a candidate were promises for the future, rather than ideals he would strive for in a complex system. If my fellow liberals or progressives are disappointed, we have only ourselves to blame.

Obama inherited two wars and a broken financial system from his predecessor. He has not been able to fix everything in three years.

Susan Stern
Newton