Ready to Define Change

Congrats to president-elect Barack Hussein Obama, Jr. but if you're looking for magnanimous tootings perhaps this isn't the best place right now. I'd very much like to say I wish Mr. Obama well--but wishing him well suggests wishing his changes are successful and those are still a tad amorphous in my mind right now. Perhaps I should say I wish America well under Mr. Obama.

His humble acceptance speech in front of a tiny park full of core supporters echoed the slogan used to achieve victory--"change we need". "Yes we can". What exactly does any of that mean? Does he think America sucks that bad?

Many conservatives tried to pin down the definition for months without success. Mostly we saw that change meant his positions kept changing. Since it's highly doubtful he meant the change we need was him changing his mind it's something deeper, obviously. Did Joe the Plumber actually flesh it out near the end--in other words, spreading wealth? Was money the main reason people voted for Obama--ie, he promised the better chicken in their pot? Wouldn't be the first time.

But that can't be all. The way he discussed change it was as if everyone knew America needed to fundamentally change from the bottom up. Change into something else; something that would "change the world". ? Michelle said she was proud for the first time when hubby came forward, which suggests perhaps the change is simply electing a black or mixed race president. That it? Can't be.

Obama's website and rhetoric suggested America under Bush was practically responsible for the terrorism around the world, except for the attacks we didn't face here after 9/11, due to an arrogant unilateralist tone towards the "world", a world that includes terrorists and tinpots and communists. More specifically, our liberation of Iraq was the worst foreign policy ever. Actually I'm glad Saddam and his sons, Arafat, and numerous AQ leaders are dead with Qudaffy's nuke program sitting in Oak Ridge as we go forward towards this wonderful change. But that's just me.

So as we go forward I'm still a little fuzzy on the whole change thing. I'll support the new president, and will support his proposals and actions when they are in our best national interest. I'll try hard not to be disrespectful like so many on the left have been with Bush and their old (and now new again) friend John McCain. The historical sifnificance of this election is apparent and I'd be lying if I didn't admit to being proud that America has done something none of those wonderful European socialist beacons of perfection have ever done.

But one of the reasons I didn't think Sarah Palin was the best VP choice was her lack of experience. That was the initial disqualifying reason for Barack, a sentiment echoed by the likes of Andrew Young and Joe Biden. Obama will now have the phone at 3AM so country first--here's hoping his performance changes my mind.