Well, we’ve had a new president for a week now, and still … the economy is in the toilet, Bin Laden is on the loose in Afghanistan (presumably), and there is no playoff system in major college football. Haven’t we been patient enough?

Seriously, though, I do have a sense of optimism with the new administration, and I truly hope I can retain that optimism over the coming months and years. It’s not a result of campaign promises or inaugural speeches, but rather just a feeling that we’re moving into a more intelligent, more fact-based time, where reality counts for something, where good people with good ideas will be encouraged to step forward and initiate progress, and where our country might be able to restore its reputation in the world.

My involvement with the Rotary Youth Exchange program makes me sensitive to the way the USA is viewed around the globe, and friends in many countries are happy with the prospects that this new administration brings. There was a tremendous amount of good will directed toward us in the days following 9/11, but unfortunately the Bush administration squandered that good will and lost the full support of all but a few allies. One of the major challenges for President Obama will be to recover those relationships, and build true alliances worldwide.

I am thrilled that science will again play a part in our government’s decisions, and especially that the hands of researches will no longer be tied by the whims of the religious right. Stem cell research offers so much in the fight against disease - it is an area in which our nation can assume the world leadership, at the same time that other functions, like manufacturing, move elsewhere.

I’m anxious to see what will happen with the executive and legislative branches both controlled by the same party again. They may not make the right decisions on everything, but at least they will be in a position to take action, and that’s going to be critically important with all of the challenges we currently face.

Finally, it’s exciting to see a young face, and a young family, in the White House again. In that regard, it feels almost like 1961, when John F. Kennedy was inaugurated. Those who don’t recall, or aren’t old enough to do so, may not realize that it was significant when Kennedy was elected, because he was the first Catholic president; much of the country was not ready for that. Clearly, Obama’s election goes the next mile, and that speaks well for our nation indeed.

A week ago, Barack Obama became the 44th president of the United States of America. It was the culmination of a long run, a quest that may have taken many people by surprise, perhaps even Obama himself. The excitement of the inauguration, the ceremonies, and the celebrations that followed, surely faded quickly, and I wonder if the new president awoke the next morning and wondered, if only for a second, “What the hell have I gotten myself into?” It’s sure to be an interesting ride for all of us, but it’s a different ride than we’ve had for the past eight years, and for that, I am quite grateful.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, January 27th, 2009 at 6:22 pm and is filed under Al. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.