George Maidrand

I did not support Barack Obama in his bid for the Presidency. I considered the campaign long and hard, given the so many attractive reasons for supporting the youthful senator from Illinois, but in the end I had to remain loyal to John McCain, a man who had earned my respect during a lifetime of service and sacrifice for his nation.
Now, after what can only be seen as one of the most audacious paths ever undertaken to the White House, Barack Obama is (as McCain himself put it) my President. Seemingly unprepared and untested for the immense responsibilities of the Presidency, Mr. Obama must have sensed a restiveness in the land that told him his time was now. That has most certainly been the case and now, nearly a century and a half after Abraham Lincoln gave his life for a cause rooted in the core of a national psyche, Mr. Obama has emerged as the symbol of a new American dawn.
A man of color other than white now leads the most powerful nation ever known to man. He is a rock star to youthful throngs who grasped his message of hope in a cynical world. He is a joy and a wonderment of sorts to peoples around the globe who are pausing to reassess America's imperial reach under the unlikely guidance of this most common man's eloquence and grace.
Americans rendered their verdict in what may be viewed as the most notable and far-reaching election result since the days of Lincoln. Somewhere in the distant future Illinois may be known as the Land of Lincoln and Obama. If that is the case, citizens of today can take a modest bow for putting their faith in the unproven promise of Mr. Obama's soaring rhetoric.
Even if President Obama fails to reach the lofty status of the Great Emancipator, the essential and over-riding message of the election has asserted the rising of a multi-national land of the free where all peoples truly are welcome and where prosperity can be the reward for hard work and creativity. Were Mr. Obama to fall flat on his face, the willingness signalled by the election would remain undiluted of spirit and resourcefulness.
The challenges facing our new President are daunting. He will need to navigate most carefully the perilous political waters both within and without his own party. Where Mr. Obama seems the perfect modern day spokesman for Lincoln's "Malice toward none and charity for all", that sentiment does not describe many powerful pols who put self interest before the common good. Ideals may collide with realities as he pursues his duty to safeguard the nation as well as did his predecessor.
Mr. Obama has touched the hopeful spirit of a people longing for a leader who can forge a more respectful and productive dialogue in the halls of power. That expectation is a weighty burden, but one which seems to bend him little.
May the wind be at your back, Mr. President.