That is the phrase that keeps coming to mind as I listen to some of the commetns made and expectations/hopes shared in preparation for tomorrow's inauguration of Barack Obama.
Yes I know that he has awakened a great deal of hope in those who support him. Yes I would have voted for him were I eligible. Yes he is a charismatic speaker. Yes his message of change and "Yes we can" is addictive.
But he is not a messiah. All will not suddenly be well as soon as he takes the oath of office (with his hand on the Bible used when Lincoln took the oath apparently). In his address yesterday Obama named the fact that it will be a long struggle. Politics being the art of the possible a reality of trading political favours/capital means that hopes and realities are often separate issues.
My hope is that the populace at large will give him time. The public are not good at patience. THe lure of the quick fix (particularly a quick fix that doesn't require us to actually change our expectations or behaviour) is very seductive. But real change and real healing and real recovery takes time. IT also (horror of horrors) requires people to change their lives. Will Obama's team be given a chance or will people expect a turnaround within the 1st 100 days?
Well said Gord. My hope is that Obama will not ignore the hard things that need to be said and done - the prophetic acts - that ONLY he can do.
ReplyDeleteOnly he can truly change the lies that W and his hawks have been trying to sell for all these years - like the way they all kept the US safe after 9/11. Right. What about how they didn't keep the US safe FROM 9/11 despite a gazillion or so warnings????
Only he can name the war crimes that happened on the former admin's watch and ensure that they are prosecuted.
I really, really, hope that Barack doesn't take the safe route here. Yes, bipartisan-ship is great. But sometimes a crime just needs to be called a crime and the right thing needs to be done about it.
Well said.
ReplyDeleteBene D
The intelligence of Mr Obama alone places him heads and shoulders above those who have come before, with the possible exception of President Carter ...
ReplyDeleteHope is believing inspite of the evidence and watching the evidence change ... and changing the evidence demands the involvement of everyone ... and today we have something so new and so different that HOPE is feeling real and tangible in a way that we have not felt in a very, very, very long time ...
You're right - he is no Messiah ... but the hope he has rallied and marshalled is Messianic in the possibilities and potentials it holds for something new and wonderful.
Ultimately Hope is about the Resurrection, and the Resurrection is what it's all about ... in the deep dark times light WILL break through!!
Looks like Guantanamo will be shut down--off to a good start, I'd say.
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