Obama

How could today go by without a blog post on the swearing in of Barak Obama as President?

I'll say up front that I'm pretty impressed by Obama and think he's going to be able to be an agent of new direction in the States.
(so any negative comments about Obama, such as accusations that's he a muslim or the antichrist, will NOT be published on this blog so don't even bother)

What has struck me about Obama winning the election is the power of hope. I think that what will be agent of change in America will not be Obama's decisions as much as the new found sense of hope and optimism that so many Americans feel. So in a sense, change already has come to America (to coin Obama's catch phrase).

It's interesting how things affect us. You can see it when the weather changes and becomes warm, or when the amount a daylight begins to increase. People respond to these things and usually become more positive about life.

I'm not saying that Obama's decisions don't matter; of course they will. What I am saying is that perhaps some of the most important impact has already been seen. Some will argue that the mood of the American people will most certainly change; George Bush's approval was great after 9/11, but has sunk to historic lows. There will indeed be some downward shifts in public opinion for Obama. No question about that.

Obama has a charm and charisma that, in my opinion, George Bush lacked. Obama has a relational manner about him that puts people at ease. Some find this alarming, but the majority of people resonate with it and respond positively, as evidenced by today's events.

For the sake of the America and indeed the entire world, I hope very much that Obama is successful in being able to bring change to the States, both domestically and abroad.

I wish him well.