The American people spoke last Tuesday, and Barack Obama will be inaugurated as our next president in January.
The campaign was hard fought, and both he and John McCain must be commended for their willingness to put themselves through such a meat grinder.
Regardless of how a person feels about either candidate, both men deserve a tip of the hat for being willing to serve our country. After such a demanding process, it would be easy for the losing side to become frustrated.
However, all of us must pray that Obama becomes the best president our country has ever had. This doesn't mean that people can't be critical of him. After all, the right to criticize is an important element of any democracy and is a necessary component in the marketplace of ideas.
At this point, Obama needs everybody's support because our country is entering a critical portion of its history. The challenges we face are daunting, and strong leadership from the president will be essential.
There are lots of issues that most can point toward as important. Many want the Iraq War to wind down as quickly as possible. Because of his past position on this, Obama will be under intense scrutiny to bring it to an end.
Others will point toward social issues like homosexual marriage and abortion. Both of these are the defining social issues of our time, and the president will continue to play an important role in how they impact our nation.
This will be especially true if Obama gets the opportunity to appoint justices to the Supreme Court. It is believed that as many as three justices may be considering retirement.
If this happens, Obama will be leaving a legacy that lasts long after he leaves office because justices are appointed for life. It surprised me somewhat that there wasn't more discussion during the campaign about this, but then again, the Supreme Court isn't the sexiest issue to discuss when it comes to politics.
Usually, it only gets focused upon when there is a position to be filled, and that is a big mistake.
Additionally, near the top of the new administration's list must be developing an energy policy that results in America becoming less reliant on other countries to meet our needs.
It was only a few months ago when gasoline prices hovered around $4 a gallon, and local merchants were having difficulty keeping enough in stock to meet demand.
In the last few weeks, the issue has fallen off the radar somewhat because of a drop in prices. Locally, prices have dropped below $2 a gallon, and the nation as a whole has received significant relief.
As economic growth has slowed, this drop couldn't have come at a better time. Hopefully, this drop in prices will continue, but I'm sure that it won't.
The bottom line is we must become much more focused on domestic resources for our energy needs.
We can't continue to rely on countries that aren't necessarily our allies to help us. If we continue in this way, then skyrocketing costs for oil and other resources will return. It isn't a matter of 'if' this will happen, but a matter of 'when.'
After the intensity and pressure of the last year or so in politics, the next couple of months will appear relatively quiet. However, this will not be the case.
Obama will be making decisions on who will be serving in his cabinet, and those decisions will be among the most significant he will make.
Let's hope he chooses well.
1 comment:
After the intensity and pressure of the last year or so in politics, the next couple of months will appear relatively quiet.
It's nearing mid-November and the typical cosmetics of Christmas are few. Maybe it's the weather, but usually by now there are decorations and other signs everywhere. Maybe this will be a year when people put up decorations when it's time, and actually reflect and celebrate the season genuinely.
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