Tomorrow, Saturday, January 17, 2009, I am off to the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama. This is a very exciting time with great promise, and I am thrilled to be part of it, even if the weather will be brutal! 🙂
The whole nation needs to pray for the success of this young President who is coming into office in the worst possible conditions since Franklin D. Roosevelt took the oath 76 years ago in similar circumstances. FDR promoted the NEW DEAL, and many observers have said that Obama needs to promote a NEW NEW DEAL if we are to get out of the economic mess we are now in. It is encouraging that he has had good will expressed to him by many conflicting groups, and he has extended the hand out to conservative journalists as well as liberals, to the Republican caucus in Congress along with the Democrats, to the Supreme Court Justices as well as religious, business and other leaders.
Barack Obama wants to be the President of all of the people, whether they voted for him or not. We owe it to him to give him slack and enough time and to expect failures in policies as well as successes, and to unite around him as he becomes a crisis leader through no wish on his part. This is the hand that he and all of us have been dealt, and we can hope for elements of greatness to appear in him as he takes on this tremendous responsibility as President, with the knowledge that he has a supporting staff surrounding him which is among the best ever to be put together, and led by Joe Biden and Hillary Clinton.
Commentary on the inauguration experience and the constantly evolving political events will resume shortly after I return on January 21 in the evening.Â