We are also living in a Facebook World and nothing can so quickly illustrate the thoughts and views of the peope you know (or at least meant once or maybe not at all). Among the many excited folks for this momentous day, there were a few that took this opportunity to take shots at Bush and the past Administration -- most of them from people I know to be Christians. This did not sit well with me as I believe him to be a sincere believer and one has never been ashamed of his faith and that is at least one thing we can celebrate about his Presidency.
Now that I don't think his faith should be free reign to do anything and we should constantly be critical and discerning of any President's decisions. There have been things that have been done in the name of Christianity that should not have been. However, we also have to be able to separate the policies from the person. We have to be careful in judging someone that we have never known on a personal basis.
By all accounts, President Clinton was a very smart and personable man with many strengths. However the image of him that sticks in my mind is him saying "depends on what the meaning of is is" and toying with the institutions of marriage and the courtroom. And that is why Bush receives higher marks in my book because he remained faithful in marriage and I believe him to have have been one who humbly sought the will of God (I am not trying to justify any of his actions with this statement). And that is why I have the highest regard for President Carter. From the accounts I have read, he had a tumultous Presidency but he has lived out his faith in magnificent ways since leaving office; he has constantly served and loved others.
And that brings me back to President Obama. This man has already impressed me with the way that he has conducted himself. He has shown wisdom in selecting his cabinent and has genuinely made efforts to cross the aisle. He has avoided opportunities to gloat and he was gracious to the outgoing Administration. He seems to be one that is committed to and genuinely loves his wife and daugthers.
We have to hold the decisions he makes to the highest of standards and to use the checks of our political system accordlingly; he is in a position of tremendous power. I am a firm believer that character ultimately defines a person. And so if Obama falls flat on his face and fails miserably, but does so in such a way that he can hold his head up high where he will have done what he believed best and did so with a discerning, humble, and trustworthy heart...then I will have considered him to be a success. God Bless you Mr. President.
Posts
5 comments:
What do you think of his many dubious political associations?
Whose dubious political associations are you referring to? Give me some examples and I'll try to comment :)
I was referring to Obama. I'm mainly thinking of his pastor, William Ayers, and Blagojevich. He is never quick to denounce these people, which makes you wonder.
I can only assume that your silence means you are beginning to wonder as well.
No...I actually had forgotten about it because my blog doesn't tell me when someone comments and I haven't written anything in a while. To answer your question, I don't think he had anything to do with Blagojevich and I think Ayers is far enough removed there isn't much there.
The one that I was most concerned about is the Reverend Wright. You don't go to a Church for that long without getting a feel for who the Pastor is and what he believes. He gave a great speech on race but he certainly could have denounced it earlier. Considering that he was raised by his white mother and white grandparents, I don't think there is anything to worry about in sharing Wright's racial views.
The thing that I am interested in is what are his religious views. He has been less than forthright about what he believes on the matter of religion. I think one of the things that will get him trouble before too long is that he tries to be all things to all people. He did this by having Rick Warren and the gay bishop pray at the inauguration as well as trying to work with both the Democratic and Republican Congress. These sort of things are very admirable in some respects but can also easily alienate all sides; I could see him easily getting in trouble on foreign policy in this way. I would love to hear him talk about his faith and what he believes instead of worrying how people will react to that.
Post a Comment