There is no doubt that in the coming months and years Obama will need every ounce of vigor he can muster. The economic deterioration is fast outpacing Washington's ability to cope with it. A very vague end might be in the making for the Iraq War some time in the next two or three years. There is no end in sight for the war in Afghanistan, which seems destined to end up as an Iraq-like quagmire — that is, if it is not one already. And the huge, multi-billion dollar costs of caring for those wounded service men and women will not only pack a budgetary wallop that has until now been taboo, it will strain the resilience of a health-care system that is already out of whack.
As Obama unabashedly acknowledged, the nation's mettle will be tested in ways that only our parents and grandparents have been. But this is not the occasion to dwell on the obvious challenges Obama and the nation faces.
This is a time for the nation to regain not only its sense of common purpose, but its sense of collective pride; perhaps each of us can now understand the prescience of Michelle Obama when she said, "For the first time in my adult lifetime, I'm really proud of my country . . . not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change. I have been desperate to see our country moving in that direction and just not feeling so alone in my frustration and disappointment."
Obama has pledged to "lead once more." America — and the world — is ready.
Related:
Night of the living dead, House rules have changed, Jim nauseam, More 
- Night of the living dead
It’s almost over. This is welcome news.
- House rules have changed
President-elect Barack Obama's appearance on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday struck a chord with me about how much more diverse — and inclusive — the upcoming administration may be.
- Jim nauseam
In the early days of the Obama administration, one politically perilous warning keeps resurfacing for the man in the Oval Office: "Don't turn into another Jimmy Carter."
- Warming up to a green revolution
President Obama's push for a green revolution has inevitably drawn comparisons to President Kennedy's famous call, 48 years ago, for a moon landing.
- How is Obama doing?
In response to a question from Oprah Winfrey about how he would grade his time in office, President Barack Obama gave himself a "solid B-plus."
- Considering Kagan
Elena Kagan, onetime dean of Harvard Law School and current US solicitor general, is a less than perfect candidate to sit on the Supreme Court.
- The nanny state
Assaults on liberty promoted by right-wing authoritarians, such as President George W. Bush and Vice-President Dick Cheney, may be difficult to combat, but they are easy to recognize.
- Take Back Barack
It's time to reclaim the man we put in the White House
- Money matters
Conventional wisdom dictates that Barack Obama was swept into office on the winds of change.
- The Year of the Nerd
Barack Obama is many things. Dedicated senator. Devoted husband and father. Adept orator. President-elect. Nerd.
- Be Progressive
What Jeff Inglis and Deirdre Fulton fail to address in their coverage of Barack Obama.
- Less
Topics:
The Editorial Page
, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, inauguration, More
, Barack Obama, Barack Obama, inauguration, U.S. Presidential Inauguration, editorial, speech, Politics, U.S. Politics, George W. Bush, Ivy League, Less
