Western Oregon Journal

Issue date: 11/12/08 Section: Post

It's a quarter to ten on Tuesday night, Nov. 4, 2008, and I'm sitting in the library, trying to process the enormous change our country just underwent with the election of 47-year-old Barack Obama as the 44th President of the United States. Most of my friends from the conservative Republican side of the political fence are freaking out right now, telling me that America is doomed, or that only God can save us now.
I'm not quite that cynical, but I'll admit I have my doubts. With right-wing views on everything from Iraq to abortion to socialized health care, I have a somewhat bleak picture of the next four years.
Will I be praying for the country in light of the election results? Absolutely. But I would have done the same even if McCain had won.
Even though I'm not excited Obama won the election, I'm not surprised by his victory. It wasn't hard to see it coming; in fact, the change in the nation's political drift proved pretty obvious.
Just because I don't agree with where the current is heading, though, does not mean I should jump off the ship. Despite the economic difficulties, despite the rifts in social and moral ideals and despite my political party's loss, I am still proud to be an American.
And as an American, I'm committed to helping make my country a better place to work, to live and to support-in the good times and the bad.
So where do we go from here, as a campus and as a country? I would suggest we move forward-learn from the past and try to apply the wisdom we gained to our future.
If Sen. (and future President) Obama were sitting next to me in Hamersly right now, I would shake his hand, smile and congratulate him for winning the trust of the American people, because that's the gracious response he deserves.
On the other hand, President Bush also deserves the same respect for the eight years he has spent serving our country in office. I am so thankful for his wisdom in guiding our country during the aftermath of Sept. 11 and for his continued dedication to winning the War on Terror.
The lives lost in this war are precious and deeply mourned, but I am sincerely grateful for their sacrifice. Because of our troops' willingness to serve, democracy has had the opportunity to shed light in dark and oppressed countries, and American soil has been protected from terrorist attacks.
Even though he did not receive my vote, Sen. Obama has earned my cautious respect. Most likely, over the next four years, he will make changes with which I will strongly disagree, but I am hoping that he will choose to continue to develop the legacy of the land of the free and to fight for the American people. I am hoping he will fulfill his post-election promise to listen to my voice, in addition to those of his supporters.
In facing this season of change, I'm choosing to look beyond the red and blue lines coloring the national map; instead, I'm trusting in the God upon Whom our nation was founded, and I'm focusing on the nation's name: the United States of America.

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