Exit Bush, Enter Obama

I was amused at how many people watched President Bush's farewell address Thursday night and then turned around and said something to the effect of "there's the Bush I voted for" or "there's the Bush that was missing." In reality, he wasn't that much different from what he's been in the past. If at any time he was different, it was in his final press conference, where he aggressively defended his decisions, specifically in regards to his terrorism policies and Iraq policies. Perhaps the best, or at least most important thing Bush said the other night was in regards to the years following the September 11 terrorist attacks:

"As the years passed, most Americans were able to return to life much as it had been before 9/11. But I never did. Every morning, I received a briefing on the threats to our nation. I vowed to do everything in my power to keep us safe."

I believe him, and for that, I think we can all be thankful, for that may have been the best accomplishment of his presidency. It's no question that the Bush presidency has left several less-than-desirable things: massive deficits, energy problems, education problems, unresolved immigration problems (a practical endorsement of amnesty for illegals), support for McCain-Feingold (throwing the first amendment out the window), etc. But Iraq will likely be the issue Bush is remembered by. And anyone who thinks they completely know whether or not that war was the right decision is delusional to put it lightly. (For the record, count me in with the less than thrilled crowd, but not the narcissistic "blood for oil" people).

History will judge George W. Bush. Abraham Lincoln was a rather unpopular president, and Harry S. Truman was widely unpopular as he left office. And yet as we now look back on history, those two men show up in virtually every "top 10 presidents of all time" lists. I'll leave Bush with this summation. He was a decent man, lacking in some critical leadership areas to be a truly effective president. He didn't always surround himself with the best people. I believe he had a set of principles and at least tried to follow them. He received very harsh treatment from the media and the opposing party, some of which he deserved, some of which he didn't.

On Tuesday, Barack Obama takes over. The general idea from CNN I got this morning was that we should all be excited. As a friend commented to me, if anything else, it's history. I'm usually pretty careful to be "excited" by politicians. As a matter of fact, none have ever excited me. And I can't forget that I strongly disagree with several of the ideas which President Obama campaigned on. On the other hand, I've watched him tack closer to the political center in the last two months in the decisions and statements he has made. That could make me feel even more comfortable with him, but I'm not one to get complacent either. I know two things will certainly happen. Apologies will be made for any shortcomings in at least his first year or two (aka: Bush will be anointed the scapegoat), and there will be a double standard in how he isn't criticized for putting on such a ridiculously expensive inauguration in bad economic times (well more expensive than Bush's even though Bush was thoroughly grilled).

But putting policies aside for the moment, Obama has great potential. I agree that this can indeed convey a positive message for Black Americans, and particularly black youth. But let's not kid ourselves. Too many people voted for Barack Obama solely because he was black, and too many people voted against him because he was black. "How much is too many," you might ask. The answer is at least one. Because voting for someone with a disregard for principles and ideas and solely on skin color is not just a waste of a vote, but a thorough rejection of what Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights movement stood for. With that in mind, we can't ignore the progress that has been made. I'm not merely talking about electing a black president for the first time. I'm talking about the millions of people who made a conscience decision of whether or not to vote for him, regardless of what he looked like. In that sense, Dr. King would be, and we can all be, proud.

I do indeed hope that Obama becomes one of our great presidents. But for now, we can only hope and support him.