It seems almost obligatory to do a post today in honor of the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama as our 44th President.
While the post may be obligatory, the sentiments are not. As someone who opposes his policies, I can still celebrate Obama's election and the peaceful transition of power.
As a sailor, I was raised on the Corinthian spirit of sportsmanship. It's not well-defined in writing, but basically calls for competitors to follow the rules of the game, be respectful of your opponent and their equipment, and be a good loser. I endeavor to extend those teachings to activities off the water as well.
It is in such a spirit that I congratulate my new President Obama. And yes, despite the fact that I did not vote for him, he is still 'my' president.
I want him to be a good president. As individuals, we may disagree on the definition of 'good,' but that's what America is all about.
I don't want him to have to face the challenge of an attack on our country or people. I don't want him to have to make the heart-wrenching decision to commit our volunteer military to the risks they've agreed to assume. I don't want him to be forced to make 'damned-if-you-do, damned-if-you-don't' decisions. But I know the likelihood of these wants being met are slim.
I know I will disagree with him on numerous issues - I already do. But my disagreements will be with the policies and proposals - not with the man. I will give him the same benefit I've given President George W. Bush: that he will make decisions based upon all the information he has available (some of which the public may never know) and that he believes he's doing the right thing for the nation as a whole - not because a decision is politically expedient.
I expect I will attack some of his proposals, which are fair game in any free society. But I will respect the office of the President of the United States and will not denigrate the person our nation has selected to sit in that oval room.
I wish my president the best - though that does not mean I wish him success on implementing all of his plans.
I will pray for him and his advisers - and ask that God grant them wisdom as they lead our country.
Congratulations President Obama.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
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7 comments:
I also wish our President sucess in leading and protecting our great country. There are many of his policies I do not want to see enacted, but, as always, elections have consequences. Let no one disparage his election, this is the only country on earth that would/could elect a member of a minority to such a powerful position, and do it with the grace and proper respect we are doing! God Bless America!!
The owner/ceo/president of a company in Wisconsin is depressed about the new administration, the high taxes that are certain to come and the poor economy that's going to get worse. He'll have to lay people off, and that's a miserable decision to have to make. So the man is depressed and fretting, and as he walks through his company's parking lot he notices a few cars have Obama bumper stickers on them.
Guess who's going to be laid off first.
Maggie,
As always, a classy response to an event that has many of us wondering what the future holds.
Being registered as a "D" but thinking more like an "I", I am still not sure how I feel about all this.
There are portions of the pending policies I feel may work, and then there are others that I fear will just be more of the same with no measurable improvement or outcome.
I'm going to try to remain optimistic, as it's still early in the game. Only time will tell.
Barack Obama is our new President. And in that vein I will do my part to push this country forward.
The sense of hope that surrounded yesterdays events, and the Obama election is a nice change. I too respect the office and the process, and wish success for our country and President.
However, the policies that so many hopes are incorrectly based upon will harm our nation in numerous ways.
President Obama paid lip service to the founding fathers, and then raised the call to "remake America." The Blade in fact ran that as the main headline today. We don't need to "remake" America. The founders got it right, we need to Return America, to its core principles, beliefs, and structure.
TAHL
I teach in a very conservative Catholic school where my middle school students, much like most kids, form their "political opinions" on their parents' beliefs. That being said, many did not want to see Barack Obama become our president. What an amazing conversation we had yesterday, though, as our entire school watched the historic inaguration. We discussed the need to set aside our feelings and pray that he leads us and keeps us safe. We talked about how we cannot change the election, but we can pray daily for God's hand to guide our new president and pray that maybe he will even change his policies on the things of which we feel so strongly. It was a wonderful day with wonderful conversation, only made better by the fact that we actually got to talk about God and politics all in the same discussion!
toledo1 - that sounds so inspiring! thanks for sharing it!
Maggie,
Rather than comment, I will simply ask you to takea look at my TFP column for this week. A column that I turned in on Monday. The rest is just scary.
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