Presidential Inauguration – A Grand Moment
It should not matter whether or not one has voted for the winner of the Presidential election this past November, come January 20, 2009, Mr. Barack Obama will be sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America and becomes at that moment the President for all Americans! While every inauguration is a historical event in its own right, this one is truly distinct in that for the first time, an African-American will occupy the White House for at least four years and will therefore hold the most powerful position on planet Earth.
Even though, we did not vote for him, he will be our President just the same and we wish him all the best for his term in office. With this we also mean that the political bickering in Washington D.C. will be reduced and that all elected officials will truly try and work together for the benefit of all the people in this country. Of course, there are differences of opinion as they should be but we always wondered why the differences had to lead and result in rancor and sometimes vicious personal attacks.
But back to the Inauguration. The transfer of power of the Executive branch from President George W. Bush to President-Elect Barack Obama begins with the swearing into office of the latter. This will take place on the steps of the Capitol Building in the presence of hundreds of thousands of people and it is in its formality simple, yet such a powerful event due to its peaceful nature as anchored in the Constitution of this country. The fact that the loser of the Presidential election, Senator John McCain will be sitting close by while this swearing-in ceremony is taken place speaks volumes about the power of Democracy. And we think it is something to cherish and behold.
While Barack Obama can be envied for having won the election, he also deserves our common sympathy because he is entering the Presidency at a time when things are tough on almost all fronts. While we are winding down the war in Iraq, we are apparently ramping up the conflict in Afghanistan by adding troops there and the overall war on terror is still going strong. We have to remain alert for potential future terrorist attacks. The Middle East and particularly the current war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza strip is of major concern to everybody and the possible threat of Iran becoming a nuclear power is a continuous problem. Couple that with the current economical and financial situation not only nationwide but worldwide and we have to come to one conclusion: From Day One of his Presidency, Mr. Obama’s plate is full!
It is our sincere hope that he will be given a chance by everybody to adjust to this new job and get familiar with the full scope this job encompasses. We wish that this will happen so that he does not have to deal with the additional burden of intense, instant criticism expressed in demeaning name-calling as it did happen with his predecessor George W. Bush. It was truly shameful how he was treated, calling him everything from being stupid and just plain dumb to being a liar and even a murderer was abhorrent and disgusting. These statements were made not just by his ideological opponents in the media, the movie industry and among liberal bloggers but also by active members of Congress in both chambers. It was very difficult to take and understand for those who had voted for George Bush and believed in what he wanted to do for America. This total lack of civility on the part of Bush’s critics was a low point in American history.
It is our sincere hope that a President Obama will never have to experience this kind of gutter attacks by his ideological opponents, we hope that criticism of him will remain factual and civil and not ever become so vile and personally insulting. Let us be realistic, whatever his decisions or plans for America, he will never be able to please everybody, that is a given. Yet, he will be the President and we only have one at a time!
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