Hillary! A Worthy Secretary of State

It's nice to know the adults are back in charge. To have a President with the inner security and confidence to open us his cabinet to political opponents. A President who doesn't have to declare "I'm the decider."

The riveting story of the appointment of Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State appears to have concluded as a greaet success story. Hillary has transcended past aspersions declared in the heat of the primaries, and all the more power to her for it.

And she'll be a great Secretary of State, too. People have been asking whether she will be able to subordinate her views and carry out President Obama's policy. They forget she used to be a lawyer whose main job was to represent the best wishes of her clients.

Take that Rush Limbaugh and all you other plotting conservatives. In an attempt to play a spoiler in the internal Democratic primaries, Rush, and others like him, including Laura Ingram, pushed Republicans to go to the polls (in states that allow cross-registration, often on the day of the election) and cast a vote for Hillary to prolong the Democratic contest and Democratic divisions.

But the plotters and manipulators had their own deceitfulness boomerang against them. By lengthening the race, they helped Barack Obama start campaign organizations in almost all 50 states, and it was that experience on the ground that helped him to win.

In addition, by strenghtening Hillary's hand, they made her a stronger force with almost 18 million voters, and it was that strength that Barack considered as one element in appointing her.

So, now, thanks to your own deceit, and, of course, Hillary's inherent skills, you not only have the most liberal Senator in the country running the place, but the dreaded Clintons back in the game, too.

And my thoughts can be summarized in one sentence, "Thank God, for the sake of our country."

A New Dawn with Barack

It's rather disgusting to think that there are some segments of American society who are not celebrating Senator Obama's victory, who don't realize what it means to our image abroad, who are consumed with their petty jealousies or the need to fit into their social circles.

Yes, only in America could something like this happen, but for some it is an occasion of misplaced mourning or even the opportunity to stock up on their firearms in fear of the future.

Who are these groups? There are members of the "religious right," the most extreme, out-of-touch people, living in their own bubble of hatred, hatred totally antithetical to everything Jesus represents. In more affluent areas, they have no sympathy for the suffering caused by the Bush administration, for Katrina and even worse, the systematic promotion of the rich at the expense of all other classes in our great land.

There are also groups misled by the Joe the Plumber campaign, who hold on to their overflowing wallets and pocket books with desperation and hoarding, who are afraid of contributing a little more to the land that has given them so many opportunities.

Perhaps, most pitiful, there are also groups misled by Republican politicians, by the sophistry of Sarah Palin, et. al., who don't realize these charlatans are just playing one group against another in a divisive campaign where nobody really wins, except the candidates themselves and their high-rolling contributors.

As for me, I look forward to a new dawn in America, a new time of hope. Not to say that all the problems will be fixed immediately, but, at least, we will be making progress, moving in the right direction again. Maybe, just maybe, President-elect Obama will make an impact on these poor misled souls, and when they see the value of an intelligent President, not just someone whom you would like to have a beer with, a "Joe Sixpack," they will come around and re-discover the generosity inherent in this land, the reason why this country's heart moves in a more liberal direction in the long run, despite deleterious intervals where we have been misled by powerful interests beholden to noone but themselves, and the perpetuation of their own power.

Victory: Anecdotes About Obama's Election

Victory! After 2000 and 2004, I forgot what it felt like. The exultation, the renewed hope for our country. And this time, of course, it was extra special.

-- To see tears streaming down Jesse Jackson's face.

-- I passed the stewards of our housing complex on my walk the next morning (they happen to be black) and just started clapping. They shook my hand and beamed at me.

-- Passing a black woman on the street, still so happy, I started clapping again. She exclaimed, "Obama," as we went our separate ways.

-- Today, passing a girl with a beautiful Golden Retriever, I said, "What a beautiful dog. Obama should choose a dog like that." She laughed.

-- A close friend whom I tried to convince (she ended up voting for the other side) sent me an email saying she was impressed when Obama said he was everyone's President now, not just for the people who voted for him.

-- Bill Maher, in his late night comedy show, said he was even proud of the country, and that it's nice to see the adults in charge again.

-- I emailed a Democratic friend about the wave of joy sweeping our land.

I know there are difficult issues now to be solved, but I have faith in the ability of our President-elect to address them in a competent, intelligent manner.

October surprise, GOTV

Well,it looks like we've avoided an October surprise this election. Not for want of trying, however. All of sudden, we're bombing Pakistan like crazy. The reason why: to catch Osama bin Laden before the election and boost McCain.

However, you can't just turn an effort like this off and on, then expect to succeed. Maybe, if Bush had caught Osama bin Laden before now, the results might have been different.

Anyway, the last few days of an election, any election, are all about GOTV -- get out the vote. Maybe, the Republicans are beginning to rue their efforts to make fun of Barack Obama because he was a community organizer. Community organizers know how to get out the vote!

Anyway, like all Democrats, I'm just a little nervous. We've been within inches of the brass ring before only to have it snatched out of our hands. I'll be happy on Wednesday after Barack has been elected, and the image of this nation makes a big turn for the better.

Let's all get out and vote with our own families first. My Dad is in his 80s, but I'm driving him to the polls!