Editorial: No hurry, Barry

Many people here are obviously deeply disappointed that US President Barack Obama has again postponed his trip, originally scheduled for Tuesday, to ensure he’ll be at home to fight for his troubled healthcare reform bill.

So many people have gone to so much trouble to prepare for the “homecoming” of Barry, Obama’s nickname when he spent time as a child in Indonesia. The visit has raised much expectation and anticipation and a little healthy controversy about the pros and cons of his visit here.

The postponement did not come as a surprise. We have seen how Obama has been running into trouble with his healthcare reform bill in Congress, which had already raised doubts about whether he could afford to leave Washington.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono understands Obama’s predicament. Having canceled or even postponed his planned official sojourns on more than one occasion because of pressing domestic issues, even knowing that host countries had gone to so much trouble to prepare for his visit, he knows these things happen.

Still Obama’s visit has a special meaning for Obama and for Indonesia. This is not just the visit of any American president, which is always important in itself. This is the visit of an American president who spent four years of his childhood here and went to an Indonesian school.

Inevitably, a special and rare bond has developed between Indonesia and the leader of the world’s superpower. His visit will have a special meaning for him personally, for the people of Indonesia, and for the future relations between Indonesia and the United States. Disappointed as we may be, Indonesians will think no less of him.

We wish Obama well and that he survives the tough challenges he faces at home. We look forward to seeing him, and hopefully this time he will come with his wife and two daughters as was the original plan, in the summer. See you in June, Barry.