Editor,

RE: "Obama will have more freedom but less power to do the needed work” (The New Times, August 10).

I like Lonzen Rugira’s columns! He has made a good analysis about President Barack Obama’s presidency.

Indeed those who believed that Obama was the messiah were a little bit mistaken.

America is founded on "help yourself first” principle. One has to acquire tools that would help him or her to succeed. I really did not understand how Obama was going to "change Washington”.

The US Senate and House of Representatives are full of people who have made politics their life career. How would one change them? Obama succeeded on many issues, but the reality is that America is what she is. The principle of the "survival of the fittest” still applies and will always apply. African-Americans who know how the system works succeed.

About ‘lecturing’ Africa, I would just say that, he’s lucky the one who has a friend to advise him even when they don’t always agree with them.

Michael Gahindiro