This is my favorite picture today.
I happened to flip on CNN as President-elect Barack Obama's plane was landing at Andrews Air Force Base just outside Washington DC. While the plane that was used is not Air Force One, CNN mentioned that this is the first time a President-elect has flown on a plane from the fleet of planes available to be used as the back-up for Air Force One.
Although I was in Grant Park on Election Night and it was very emotional for me, I think seeing President-elect Obama arriving in DC tonight and departing the plane with the Presidential Seal behind him was the first time it really sunk in that Barack Obama is about to become our President. I actually shed a tear and can only imagine I'll be a basketcase on January 20th.
This is going to be a redeeming period for America. The last 200 years we've been making progress yet still have much to atone for as a country, but much to be proud of. My biggest fear is that Obama, after campaigning for Change, will get sucked into the political machine of DC and continue to operate with American hegemony and corporate interests at the forefront. The supporters of Obama have to take responsibility to hold him to his campaign pledges.
ReplyDeleteMarcel,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your thoughts on Obama.
I understand your fear because I share it. However, I'm hopeful that with Obama's commitment to transparency as evidenced by all the stuff he's already putting online including donors and the way Richardson was dealt with today we are on the cusp of a new beginning in government and public servants. My fervent hope is that Obama will continue his "no drama Obama" ways and he will not succumb to the political machine of DC (if he can rise above Chicago's, he can surely stay above DC's) and a new generation of public servants will come of age knowing that the way to rise to the top is by doing what's right rather than what's right just for me.