The Day of The One

As I watch the pre-Inaugural activities on CNN, I have a few thoughts to share.

This is a great day for our country. But then again, every Inaugural is. The peaceful transition of power is one of the things that distinguishes our system from every other system on earth.

But this one IS different. That we have elected a black man as President is notable and worth celebrating. I begrudge black America NOTHING as they seem collectively to embrace this man as a symbol of their struggle.

It is different because of the differences between what was and what is. The party in power has changed. The new President is fifteen years younger than the old. The new President is comfortable with the English language. The old President leaves under a sense of failure, while the new ascends under the burden of heavy expectation.

There is a palpable sense of hope and optimism in the air in DC, even amidst the daily drumbeat of horrible economic news. Someone asked me recently if I thought things would be different right now if Hillary had won the Democratic nomination and then the election...or if McCain had won the election. The answer is of course. This man represents SO MUCH different from what was, and his youth, his energy, his enthusiasm, and his infectious positivism have earned him a level of goodwill that would not have been extended any other President.

He must use it wisely, because it is fleeting. The hard work of governing makes the hard work of campaigning look like child's play.

Whatever happens in the next four to eight years, when his Presidency is over, at least 50% of the American public will have negative feelings about him. That's just the way politics works. Between now and then, he must expend that capital wisely, helping to make this country stronger.

God Bless President Obama, God Bless the American People, and God Bless the United States of America.