I feel HOPE!

This morning an old friend called me. About six years ago one of us had sent a link to the other of a place on the web that we could find a countdown clock to the day that George Bush would be out of office. That friend has sinced moved from here in Washington to Arizona. This morning he noticed the countdown clock and called me before he left for work. I was touched but as we talked about the wonderful day that was to come, I told him something that I think really says it for me on this day.

I told him that as far as I am concerned, this is the first time since 1963 that I feel like we have a true leader in the White House. Someone that can inspire us to greater things. Over the weekend a column in the NYTimes mentioned that one of the things George Bush forgot to do was to ask the American people to sacrifice. Never before have we gone to war when the President hasn’t. Of course he probably figured no one would since it was really his war and no one else's. And because he knew that many would oppose the war if it affected them. But now, that’s what Barack is going to have to do. He is going to have to ask us to sacrifice.

And I very much hope that the difference between how we handle it now as opposed to how we might have handled it four or eight years ago is huge. We all have to suck it up and join behind this new leader to move this country forward and back on the track it belongs on. He inspires us to do that and not since JFK can I remember anyone who inspires me to want to be a better American. In fact for the last 8 years I have not wanted to be an American at all.

So if I need to pay more taxes to balance the budget, relieve the national debt then I’ll do it. If I need to give some other service to keep us going, I’ll do it. If I need to put extraordinary pressure on my Senators and Congressman to support him, then I’ll do that as well. We all have to help in every way we can. And with the right leader we can do this. It has to happen. I feel hope for the first time in a long time.