As time has passed prior Inauguration Day, which is...TODAY!!!...it seems that the news has become worse and more dire with each tick of the clock. Is it just me...or do we seem to have things back asswards here? The President-elect, the one who until today has had no actual authority, is the one working hard to set things straight. Meanwhile, the actual still-sitting President, Our Glorious and Benevolent Leader © (And how sad am I going to be to retire THAT moniker??), is hardly working. Actually, the phrase "checked out" seems all too applicable here.
The good news is that today, at noon Eastern, we get our country back. I'm trying to temper my hopes and my expectations, because one person simply cannot put this country back on a solid footing by himself. Barack Obama is but one human being, a mere mortal who has openly admitted that there will be missteps and mistakes along the way. I want- and expect- change, but I also realize that the mess that theWorst President EVER © leaves behind is difficult to comprehend. I fear that Obama may well be forced to spend most of his time, and most of his first term, working hard to set things straight. When you consider the ineptitude, the incompetence, and the sheer, unbridled criminality of the past eight years, it's difficult to see how Obama won't be up to his eyeballs in merely cleaning up. Still, I'm optimistic that, if nothing else, things will begin moving in the right direction. Change will happen; it just might be awhile before it becomes evident.
Above and beyond anything else, I'm excited. I want my country back, and I truly believe that Barack Obama will set a tone in Washington will make that possible. I'll be even more excited if the Justice Department undertakes the prosecution of those who authorized and those who engaged in torture. I understand that you don't erase eight years of criminality and incompetence on Day One. Baby steps, people. Baby steps.
Enjoy today. Revel in it if you're able. I have a feeling that things are going to look very, very different before too much longer...and I for one plan to enjoy the moment.
Party on, Garth....
