A Chance to Vent...

This past week was the historical, much-anticipated and much-celebrated inauguration of the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama. And while I appreciate the historical significance of what it means to elect the first African-American president, and even empathize with what this means for the black community in this country, I have to admit at feeling a bit... well... fed-up with all of the things I am hearing and seeing.

Every time President Obama's name has come up since he won the election - from news reporters to celebrities, to commentators and talk show hosts, its with a reverence, awe and an absolute, unwavering confidence that everything is going to be better.

And that's what I'm fed up about. This undeserved and untested optimism is ignorant at best and dangerous at worst. While I have every hope in the world that President Obama will usher in some needed change and perhaps even infuse some confidence - and dare I say it, patriotism - into this great land of ours, I recognize that the blunt reality is that this man has not yet been tested and tried. His career began as a state legislator before he ran for the US Senate where he only served three years - and a significant portion of that was spent campaigning. He doesn't have a history of foreign affairs, or overseeing a complex and difficult economy or bringing two very disparate parties together. Does that mean he can't do it? Of course not. And my prayer is that he can. But what really disgruntles me is this blind faith and over-the-top praise this man has received for being ... well... a good public speaker.

And on the flip side of the coin, I am sick and tired of all of the nastiness heaped on President Bush. Yes, I understand he was an unpopular president. Yes, I understand that many opposed his views on the Iraq war, his handling of terrorist suspects, his environmental policies, and even his economic policies. But what drives me nuts is this black and white stand that people take where President Bush represents everything wrong, ignorant, evil and arrogant and therefore President Obama must be the opposite and will do everything right, smart, good and with humility. You know what I think about the presidency of the United States? I think its probably the hardest job in the world. I think that no matter what you do, you won't please all of the people any of the time and you probably won't even please most people some of the time. Was Bush dogmatic in his approach? Absolutely. And I think there was good and bad to that. I often appreciated it more than his predecessor's tendency for shifting with the wind every time a new poll came out. President Bush didn't make all the right decisions, and I am sure he looks back with regret and remorse at some things. But I would bet that had any other American been in his shoes, they might have made different choices that would have been difficult or cataclysmic in their own way. Thus the nature of this job, and thus the nature of having to do it through the largest terrorist attack on US soil, a faltering economy (that he inherited, let's not forget), drastic natural disasters and countless other crises.

And so as President Obama begins his tenure as President during a most difficult time (a job I sure would not have wanted) I wish him all the best. I wish for him strength, stamina, courage and commitment. I wish that he will remain humble and listen to the people (when the people aren't being ridiculous) and tune out the people (when they're just too ignorant for their own good). I wish that he will find a way to quickly and easily drag us out of this economic climate, solve seemingly unsolvable foreign relations and restore faith to the American people that this really is the greatest place to live on the earth. But even though I wish him all those things, I also recognize that his job is not so black and white - decisions will not come easily and they won't always be the right ones. Hindsight is 20/20. I doubt I will always agree with him (I don't now), I doubt he will uphold some of the things I consider most important in politics as we have different views, but one thing I can promise - when he finishes his presidency in four years or eight - I will not condone the new president speaking critically of him while he is just steps away, and I will never, ever boo him. That is how I show respect for this country that I love, and for the office that he holds.