It has been written that this Presidential election would be a defining moment for our nation.  Now that that moment has been defined, President-elect Obama will have 4 years to define his moment. He ran a brilliant campaign that ran circles around a GOP opponent who had to be dragged across the campaign finish line.  Given the current state of foreign and domestic affairs and the 24/7 nature of around-the-clock news cycles, it is an understatement to say that President-elect Obama has the opportunity to be one of the greatest presidents in American history.  Can our country get any worse?  Yes.  And if it does, he has an equal opportunity (no pun intended) to become one of the   worst presidents in American history.  With all of that said, I am slightly amused by .....

..... the number of white people who think that no minority will ever use the word 'racism' in this country again.  You were led to believe that once you voted a certain way, that a new day would dawn.  I hate to be a glass of cold water thrown in your face, but racism is much easier to overcome than it is to eradicate.  "With all thy getting, get understanding" (Proverbs 4:7).  Please remember that the refrain from the familiar civil rights song says "We Shall Overcome", not "We Shall Eradicate".

..... the number of people who think that the political partisan bickering on Capitol Hill will stop now that  the long-armed Obama, with his well publicized ability to reach across the aisle, has been elected.  What is the over-under on how many days it will be before Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid hear the bell for the next round and pick right back up where they left off?

..... the number of people who think our troops will be brought home swiftly.  EVERY President-elect comes out of that first high-level intelligence/security briefing with the weight-of-the-world-on-their-shoulders, deer-in-the-headlights look about them, and President elect Obama is no different.  I wonder what the over-under is on how many days since that initial intelligence briefing it will be before he utters the words "troop withdrawal".  It is now three days and counting.

..... the number of Black people who have the audacity to be interviewed on national TV and tell the world that their children now have hope that they can be somebody now that our nation has elected Mr. Obama.  So, you did not tell them that they had hope before November 5th?  Pssst! A Black American has already held the position of the top military figure in the nation.  And haven’t you heard that there has also been more than one Black American who has been the Surgeon General, our nation's top doctor.  A few years ago, another Black American ascended to sit on the highest court in the nation, the Supreme Court.  Our country is replete with examples of Blacks who are making their mark on a daily basis in both the public and private world.  Did you tell your kids about these accomplishments, or have you, as a parent, been led astray by what others have defined for you as 'success'?

..... the number of people who know how President-elect Obama will govern.  The early buzz is that he will govern from the center.  His record does not indicate that.  John McCain voted with President Bush 92% of the time, and that statistic was a drag on the McCain campaign.  President-elect Obama, on the other hand, voted with the Democrat leadership 98% of the time.  These two facts, the governing from the center and 98% party agreement, are at odds, don't you think?  I SINCERELY PRAY that President-elect Obama will indeed govern from the center.  He seems like a very decent and reasonable man, someone able to put himself above the fray.  But, the trillion-dollar question is, will he veto bills from the Democrat leadership, namely Nancy Pelosi and Hary Reid?  The thought of an unchecked Pelosi and Reid is about as comforting as taking a shower at the Bates Motel.

     No matter what your political persuasion, you cannot deny the fact that a man of color has been elected to lead a country that once enslaved people of color.  The greatest country on the planet once again proves that it is the greatest country on planet.  This by no measure is this the first, nor will it be the last time that we prove to the world that the concept of American Exceptionalism is alive and well.  Our system of government and our free market economy is still the envy of the world.  President-elect Obama, the expectations are high.   You will be given many opportunities over the next four years, to be up to that challenge.