Obama’s administration to offer hope for frazzled, apprehensive country

President elect Barack Obama was sworn in Tuesday, January 20, using the same Bible president Abraham Lincoln was inaugurated with. It is an historic day and one that will be a staple in the next generations of history books.

It is also, however, the beginning of a long and hard road for President Obama. President Obama was elected because he promised change from the Bush regime and change for Americans facing a downward-spiraling economy and increasing international tensions. Fixing all of that, while addressing issues like stem-cell research, the prison at Guantanamo Bay and socialized health care, is a tall order for a man who was only elected to the United States Senate in 2004.

Those reservations aside, the intelligent, capable and willing President Obama might be one of the best things to happen to this country in the last few decades. In his latest video address, he reminded the country of the first president, George Washington and the peaceful changing of power that has followed 43 times. Obama said he and his team were prepared to “hit the ground running” in order to help right the economy and untangle foreign policy.

We disagree with the mainstream media’s love affair with the now-President, particularly during his campaign. The media should be asking pertinent questions and not allowing people to be swept up in a blizzard of hopeful words and big promises. That being said, we are excited about Obama’s optimism. If he can get people excited about their country and care about their government, then the country will be able to correct itself, rather than stagnate.

President George W. Bush, all pretzel jokes aside, was a detrimental president to the country. Not even necessarily because of the things he did, but the people he surrounded himself with. His latest approval ratings, 22 percent, show how poorly his choices reflected. Dick Cheney, shooting people in the face jokes aside, was unethical, immoral and he overstepped his bounds as vice president.

President Obama will not be immune from mishaps, missteps in judgement or bad circumstances. His approval ratings will probably ebb and flow regularly. But, President Obama will expect something from the country, rather than just buying stuff we do not need to keep the economy afloat. He will expect Americans to work with him to help fix some of the country’s problems. There is a reason he uses pronouns like “we” and “our.” Americans should participate in their country and take an interest in how it is being run. To meet this end, President Obama has posted his weekly addresses on his Web site, Change.gov and on YouTube. He is reaching out to people, rather than waiting for people to find him.

Obama will not fix everything. Nor will he meet everyone’s every expectation of him. Nevertheless, will continue to make people interested in government who were not interested before. He is willing to work to “move forward with a renewed sense of purpose and progress at home,” he said in his video address. He will help this country.

President Obama’s election and inauguration was a proud historical moment for Americans in United States history. He believes his election to be a continuation of the American democratic tradition and one that he intends to preserve. We congratulate President Obama and wish him well on his upcoming term. He is a smart, thoughtful politician, which is a welcome change from the last eight years.