I hope Obama has the courage, ambition and desire to heed this historic calling.
[It’s TIME: Run Obama run, The iPINIONS Journal, December 20, 2006]
I expect the groundswell of support for Obama to increase so significantly over the final two weeks of this campaign that he will end up with more Americans voting for him than for any other candidate in US history.
[Obama wins the most coveted endorsement of US presidential campaign: Gen Colin Powell, The iPINIONS Journal, October 20, 2008]
Enough said?
The election of Barack Obama as the first black president of the United States invokes such obvious symbolism, sentimentality and hope that I see no point in waxing lyrical about it. Rather, I shall suffice to note how truly proud I am today.
(Although, I cannot help observing that the tears streaming down the face of Rev. Jesse Jackson on this historic occasion were probably as wistful as they were joyful….)
For the record, Obama won with 64,593,704 votes and counting (i.e., 53% to 46%), which represents not only the most popular votes but also the most diverse votes ever won by any presidential candidate in US history. Significantly, he won in the all-important Electoral College by a resounding margin of 364 to 162.
In addition, Obama should be emboldened by the fact that his fellow Democrats picked up enough seats in the House and Senate to ensure passage of his legislative agenda. Of course, his agenda will invariably be modified by the infighting between liberal and moderate Democrats that is bound to ensue.
I’m sure the congenitally pragmatic Obama will save Congressional Democrats from lurching too far to the left…
[Conviction of Sen Ted Stevens is a bad omen for Republican, The iPINIONS Journal, October 28, 2008]
That said, I appreciate how important it is in this post-9/11 world for lame-duck President George W. Bush and President-Elect Obama to organize as seamless a transfer of power and transition in government as possible. After all, America is never more vulnerable than when it is passing through such political crossroads.
Therefore, I urge Obama to consider the political and national-security benefit of announcing immediately that he’s appointing John McCain (or another Republican with impeccable national-security credentials – like Sen Chuck Hagel) as US Secretary of Defense.
This is an historic election, and I recognize the special significance it has for African-Americans and the special pride that must be theirs tonight. These are difficult times for our country. And I pledge to him tonight to do all in my power to help him lead us through the many challenges we face.
[Sen John McCain – in his dignified, gracious and hopeful concession speech last night]
Because such an appointment will honor his promise to appoint Republicans in his administration to help unite the country and bridge the do-nothing partisan divide in Washington. More to the point, it will also give notice to foreign enemies – who might be plotting to “test Obama”- that even though Obama would never start a war, McCain would be all too happy to advise him on how to deploy America’s superpower military to end it.
At the risk of raining on Obama’s parade, however, I feel constrained to note that despite being his most-ardent supporter when he was running for the presidency, I will be his most-ardent critic if he blows this historic opportunity.
After all, I remember well all of the hope Bill Clinton inspired when he was first elected in 1992. Yet it did not take long for him to dash those hopes – and it had nothing to do with his Oval-office antics with Monica Lewinsky. Instead, it was because he not only reneged on his seminal promise to reform healthcare, but also scapegoated welfare mothers to appease Southern Democrats and bombed a medicine factory in Sudan to detract from the mess he created with “that woman, Ms Lewinsky.”
So take heed my brother:
If, by the end of your first term, you have ended the Iraq war, redeemed America’s international reputation, implemented your healthcare program, and reduced the tax burden on the middle class, you’ll not only be guaranteed reelection in 2012, but you’ll also be well on the way to sealing your legacy as one of the greatest presidents in US history.
If not….
The road ahead will be long. Our climb will be steep… We may not get there in one year or even in one term. But, America, I have never been more hopeful than I am tonight that we will get there. I promise you, we as a people will get there.
Good luck President-Elect Obama!
NOTE: Before last night, I had never heard a single white person refer to anyone with black and white parents as “still half white;” not even when Halle Berry became the first “black” woman to win an Oscar for Best Actress in 2002. Therefore, I found it curious how many white commentators went out of their way last night to remind us that “Barack Obama is half white”….
Related Articles:
Rev Jesse Jackson is a saboteur to Obama’s campaign
Obama wins the most coveted endorsement…
It’s TIME: Run Obama run
Conviction of Sen Ted Stevens…
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