Don't lose sight of the bigger picture, President-elect Obama

The world as we know it is crumbling around us in small and large explosions - 9/11, Katrina and friends, the sub-prime mortgage crisis, the credit crunch, the end of investment banks, war(s), genocide(s) - leaving me with a pretty bleak outlook. Everyone is waiting with bated breaths for the President-elect Barack "Messiah" Hussein Obama to perform his magic and bring about categorical, wholesale change.

I haven't lost hope or any faith in this man, but one can tell that the weight of the world lies heavily on his shoulders. He is only one man, so I'm crossing my fingers that he doesn't collapse under the weight of the world's expectations. My only hope is that Obama and his staff (because governing is not the result of one man's effort) never loses sight of the larger picture. He has proven himself brilliant at perceiving the nuances of complex issues, and understanding that nothing is black and white, red or blue, or even gray or purple. As Thomas Friedman succinctly said, "I'm not a partisan. I'm not at war with Republicans or liberal Democrats. Most people are like that. They're not hyper-partisan--they just want you to come up with the right answer."* And the right answers are investing in the long-term, never compromising the future of our country for short-term relief, and holding onto integrity despite and in spite of 'the way things are done' in Washington.

One imperative issue that cannot slip off Obama's administration's radar: EDUCATION.

*From The New Yorker, "The Bright Side" by Ian Parker (November 10, 2008)

Elated

I'm still on a high from last night and feeling, well, hope. The word is tiring, but the feeling is not. I can't seem to tire of the images, of people all over the world celebrating in the streets, in bars, in living rooms, of the President-elect's creased face, and the image of tears streaming from Jesse Jackson's eyes. It is incredible to see this overwhelming amount of global excitement.

Last night felt like New Year's Eve. There was an unspoken countdown (or countup in this case) with bated breath until the news was announced. Breaking News: Obama wins election. Last night was a new beginning, a night to make vows, and to make resolutions that you hope you will keep and eventually change for the better.

Hope and change. Hope and change. Hope and change. These are the words that have defined our nation and will define the global outlook of 2009.

I didn't see pure joy on one notable face. Barack Obama's gaze into the camera was intent, his smiles were brief, and you had to look at his wife and children to know that he was happy. Obama's win was not without tragic losses and absences: his campaign director in Nevada Terence Tolbert, his father, his mother, and most recently, his grandmother. But most vivid in his gaze was his intensity and his anxiety. He was not celebrating the night, but anticipating the challenges. His shell was there, an Obama cutout, while his mind and heart were at the White House.

This is the closest to fiction and fantasy our political reality has ever been. This is The West Wing, and I just hope that President Obama can be as bold and courageous as the fictional President Bartlet in Let Bartlet Be Bartlet. America has needed Barack Obama, not a superhero, but a man full of integrity who is a good father, husband, and leader. Someone who is unafraid of doing the right thing. I hope Aaron Sorkin's fantasy so vividly imagined becomes our reality in 2009.

On a completely separate, but related note (Obama's inheritance), this is the saddest and most creative perspective on the crisis on Wall Street.

Cartoon by Tom Toles from The Washington Post.

Feeling re-energized

This night, of all nights, seems most appropriate to revisit my old blog and put thoughts to the proverbial paper. This night, this historic night, is an occasion for ceremonious, celebratory words.

And yet, the words won't come, and I'm left feeling a little speechless. I wish the political pundits and the networks would feel the same, and join me in a moment of silence. I wish we could pause and observe this incredible moment, of 200+ years of history in the United States, the struggles, the Civil War, the Civil Rights, the immigrants, the labor movements, the soldiers, the dead, the alive, the old, and the young. Stop all the cameras, stop the inaudible interviews, stop the screaming and champagne drinking. Feel this moment of emotions that is overwhelming the nation.

Congratulations to our next President. President Barack Hussein Obama.

"Everything really is possible in America." -- Thomas L. Friedman

God Bless America.