Pinky Swear?

I thought I'd have a lot to say after the inauguration but the truth is, I just don't. I struggled with whether or not to be there in person, as I have family in the D.C. suburbs and an open invitation. My heart said yes, but logistically, my head said no. Therefore, I was glued to the t.v. watching history in the making. It sounds rather silly, really, to have felt the need to watch it live on t.v. when I could easily have recorded it and seen the same thing, but there was a driving force that made me want to see it unfold in the moment... and even in the moments of nothing really happening, there was, indeed, so much happening.

I appreciated many points throughout the day but the one that left me inspired was when the Obamas opted against the limo... you know, the one with bullet proof windows... and instead walked the streets of their new home town. It's sad that this simple act seems so enormous and courageous, and I'm certain they were making a calculated statement, but it is what it is, we are who we are, and really, believe it or not, it was a great moment in history.

I like President Obama. I like what he stands for and I think he is an inspiration. If you read my post-election day words, you'll remember that I was rather undecided before that point, but by the end of the night even I, a cold and heartless evil princess, was drinking the Obama Kool-Aid and singing Obambaya. I think that if you strip away all the issues, regardless of on what side of the political fence you lie, you have to admit the fact that people cared about this election so deeply, and came out in incredible numbers, stood in line for hours to vote was an enormous step forward, and one I credit, at least in some part, to his candidacy. He is a gifted orator and I feel that he has more of a hand in crafting his speeches than many of his predecessors did. Listening to Bush reminded me of a ventriloquist and dummy routine... "here you go Georgie, just say these words I wrote for you, try not to stare too hard at the teleprompter, it might burn your retinas". Sorry, but I never once felt connected to him in his 8 years of... well... whatever it was. I'm not naive, I know they all have speech writers. Hell, I'd like to be one of their speechwriters. I just feel that some are more convincing in their delivery than others.

The expectations on Predisdent Obama are ridiculously high and he's handling it with grace under pressure. I'm tired of listening to people say "He can't do all he's promised to do." Interesting. What, exactly, has he promised? I believe he's promised to work towards change and I believe he will keep that promise. The sentiments he's expressed about what needs fixing are spot on. I think he has some excellent ideas, I am aligned with his values and I feel he is heading in a positive direction... but I never heard him pinky swear that he'd fix the whole damn broken world. He can't help it if the world is looking to him to do just that.