President Obama introduced the newest supreme court justice, Sonia Sotomayor Wednesday morning. Much has been made of her journey to the highest court in the land–Puerto Rican, single parent, Bronx–but that’s like buying a new car because of the paint. Everyone will look at your shiny red convertible rumbling down the street with little consideration for the engine, transmission, seat support, suspension, radio–the qualities that truly make a car a car.

“We are here to celebrate the impact Justice Sonia Sotomayor has already had on people across the country who have been inspired by her exceptional life story,” the President said.

I don’t care if she’s had an exceptional life story! Every life story is exceptional! Do you know how many people die?

Who the hell is inspired by a judge? Do we really want more people becoming lawyers? If you want to be inspired, watch a Gatorade commercial or go to the movies.

No one is questioning Justice Sotomayor’s capabilities–the question is how was she chosen amongst all of the other qualified candidates out there? Did her life story actually play a part in it?

My life story will be remarkably unexceptional for the duration of my life. White. Male. Two parent. Middle Class. Health Conscious. Educated. Average Height. Good Hygiene. Beige hair. Boring.

“If Sonia Sotomayor can make it, then maybe I can, too,” Obama said in his introduction.

“Gilchrist better make it, or else the system is fucked.”

We need to grow up in this country with our liberal language. The fact that Sonia Sotomayor is a Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States of America is not the issue. The issue is that the President sounded more like he was introducing the Honor Student of the Week over the PA system in middle school than the newest tone-setter of an entire branch of government.

The amount of media attention given to her mother, Celina, should be noted, however, as the hardest part of the poverty cycle to break is the lack of emphasis on education.  For this I’m sure Justice Sotomayor is extremely thankful for her encouraging matriarch.

Obviously we got a justice in Sonia Sotomayor. For the sake of Justice, however, I only wish that was what we had focused on.

The current economic crisis entered the political stage as a scene-stealer.  Demanding immediate and prolonged attention, the U.S.’s eyes shifted from foreign affairs to the domestic, spurring introspection on our spending habits, lifestyle, and values. 

While some soul-searching certainly was and is necessary in dealing with the economic malaise, the U.S. faces ever greater threats abroad and an increasing inability to respond.  With press attention focusing on the struggling automotive industry, Obama’s healthcare plan, and whether Anita Hill and Sonia Sotomayor’s experiences are different (Ba-duh), international developments have taken a backseat.

Political scientists and commentators have predicted the end of an era of U.S. hegemony, yielding power to four vastly expanding economies–Brazil, Russia, India, and China.

While Barack Obama’s election may have helped relations with American allies tired of Bush’s “suck it” diplomacy, Russia and China remain largely impervious to President Obama’s conciliatory overtures. Recent developments show that Russia is rising.

Putin’s invasion of Georgia last August signaled the end of Russian dormancy.  The Soviet Union may have fallen in 1989, but twenty years later Russia has re-emerged as a force in the region.  Controlling the pipeline to Western Europe’s oil, the economic interdependence of East and West is indelible, even as political ideologies remain antagonistic.  Russian President Dmitri Medvedev’s appointment of the despotic Ramzan Kadyrov to lead Chechnya further demonstrates the country’s turn away from liberalization toward tyranny.  Kadyrov’s opponents are mysteriously disappearing and human rights activists have been killed or kidnapped.

Political and economic developments have bolstered Russia’s position and hindered the United States.  Industries in Eastern Europe are crumbling, leaving citizens jobless and causing some to wonder whether liberty and free markets was a good trade for the security Soviet management brought.  Right-wing politicians are gaining ground and political infighting in the Ukraine among President Viktor Yushchenko and Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko has paved the way for a candidate favorable to the Kremlin.  Meanwhile, the Obama adminstration’s focus on fixing the mess inherited from the Bush years leaves them with a foreign policy toolbox devoid of hefty loans and military threats.

What should be done?  President Obama needs to take a more active stance on foreign policy with Russia. The Cold War is over.  The world is no longer entangled in an ideological battle between socialism and capitalism.  However, threats from an illiberal state persist.  While Afghanistan, Iraq, Iran and North Korea warrant attention, and the Russian threat may not be the most pressing issue currently, it will provide a formidable obstacle to peace in the world if the U.S. remains disengaged.