America - 24 Hours Later

I am thrilled that Obama was elected president, and I am thrilled that he was elected as the best candidate, not as the black candidate.

Many of us who rejoiced in this election win now look to what lies ahead.

Obama has been given the toughest, most thankless job in the nation. He faces a nation struggling with economic depression, tremendous disparity between rich and poor, broken educational and health care systems, and two "wars" that are looking more and more impossible to "win." Add to this a social security system and medicare system facing bankrupcy, infrastructure that is literally falling apart beneath our feet and cars, and eight years of Bush administration "signing orders" that violate the constitution and need to be undone.

Obama was a better choice than McCain, but he is no magician -- and he is NOT the savior that the right parodied him as (or that the left want him to be - no man can live up to that burden).

In all reality, he will have 24 months in which to get something done. Healthcare reform, the economic crisis, and the money pit (and blood bath) that is Iraq must be the top priorities. More to the point, however, Obama must build a bipartisan team with which to tackle these problems.

We all know that the conservative approach has not worked (although Bush was the least conservative Republican in many years), and most of us know the liberal approach will not work any better -- there needs to be a third way, neither conservative nor liberal, just effective.

As a nation, we need to seek solutions that are free from politics, free from bickering, and free from hatred and discrimination. This will not be easy, and it probably will not happen, but that is what we need.

For a more detailed look at where Obama and his team should put their energies, check out How to Save the World - Obama's Top Ten Tasks.

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