Our Nation is Obamafied!

On Tuesday January 20, 2009 at 12:00pm I tuned in to watch a most amazing day in American history. Even before I turned on the TV, my eyes were watering and I could feel this deep reservoir of feeling rise from within me. What was it that made me so emotional? Where did this come from and why was I so deeply affected by this event unfolding before my very eyes? It’s true that Barack Obama is the first African American to reach the highest office in the land…but that wasn’t it. Yes, he is bright, articulate, charismatic, attractive and smart as hell…but that wasn’t it either.

His children are gorgeous with a captivating purity, innocence and charm all their own and his wife Michelle…wow…extraordinary! But those things didn’t make me faklempt. It was the people! The well of emotion I felt even before turning on the TV was quickened to me as I recalled to memory election day. It was remembering the joy and pride in the faces of so many that had championed Barack Obama’s cause. The sheer numbers of people coming out to support and raise their voices together showing their solidarity and determination to help bring change to this great nation of ours. President Obama could never have done it without the people. No matter how charismatic, smart, good looking or charming, it is the Voice and Will of the People that makes it happen.

My emotions ran high as I watched 2,000,000 people crowd in to show their support and be a witness to history in the making. I was inspired by his speech and felt pride in our country for the first time. As I listened to President Obama address our Nation, I cringed a little to hear the rebuff and biting words thrown at the Bush Administration as Mr. Bush sat there listening to his new President speak. What a profound shift that must be for George Bush…knowing that Barack Obama is now his President.

As I pondered what George must have been feeling, I couldn’t help but wonder if he just wanted to cry as well. Not because he was leaving office, nor because he lost the respect of many Americans as well as people around the world…no, I wondered if as an American and as a man he felt pride to see democracy in action! Real democracy, not his version of it. In candid videos and photos I have seen George W. Bush’s sense of humor, caring spirit, sensitivity and loving nature. Obviously he didn’t allow his personality shine through when it came to foreign or domestic policy, but I am interested in what Mr. Bush will do in the coming years. I read a strange article in the Huffington Post about Bush pardoning Osama Bin Laden, and I am not sure whether it is the truth or some sort of snark, but what a strange and alarming turn of events if it’s true. It made me wonder if Mr. Bush was bitter that he had such a low approval rating and decided to be spiteful and pardon Osama Bin Laden…almost as though he was spitting in the faces of Americans as well as the Armed Forces not only here but also abroad. If he did pardon Osama Bin Laden does that mean that those who have died, died in vain? How about the people who died on 9/11 or the incredible loss to their family members? Were millions of Iraqi’s and Afghani’s killed or displaced and homeless for nothing? How about our Armed Forces giving the best of themselves and at times their very lives because their Commander and Chief said Osama Bin Laden was “Wanted Dead or Alive.” What does this all mean?

May our new President keep his promises to the people and be the agent of change we need. He is just one man, but we are a great Nation. “We the People” are the ones that can make it all happen. Our Nation may be “Obamafied” but it is the choices that we make each day that make our country what it is. At one point in President Obama’s speech he was addressing the Muslim world and said that they wouldn’t be remembered for what they destroy, but for what they build…the same holds true for us. Whether you are a Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party or Libertarian it will be what we build together that shall be remembered, not what we destroy because of ideologies. I hope that we all find common ground and that we remember that it is the unity of our Nation that makes us a strong and enduring people.