Looking forward with hope

President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration next Tuesday has taken on extraordinary meaning for many in our nation. For some, it’s the very welcome end of the eight years  of the Bush administration, during which they believe the failures outweighed the successes by a wide margin. For others, it marks the point in time when Americans can really start to put the last 300 years of racial inequality behind us. It will be the day Americans confirm that a black man can be our leader and not only a neighbor, friend or colleague. This aspect of such a significant turning point in our history has galvanized Democrats, Republicans and independents alike, creating a shared awareness of history.

Of course, the unfortunate thing about this historical moment is that our new president is inheriting an unprecedented array of monumental problems. The loss of jobs, decline in housing values, high rate of foreclosure, state governments experiencing extreme fiscal crises, spiraling cost of health care, the burgeoning worldwide economic crisis, the war in Iraq and Afghanistan, the continued conflict in Gaza between Hamas and Israel, Russia’s friction with Ukraine, India’s friction with Pakistan: The list goes on and on.

Fortunately, Obama is maintaining a balanced view of the many problems he’ll be taking on. And he’s chosen his support in his administration carefully and diplomatically, yet keeping his own counsel, to build a strong team, be they colleagues, rivals or both as time goes on. He has a plan to create jobs which he has expanded as the economy has continued to weaken, now including more than four million employment opportunities, many designed to improve the nation’s infrastructure. It would seem that the country could be headed in a new, necessary and positive direction.

There could also, however, be good reason to fear for the success of the new administration’s planning. While it would seem obvious that with majorities in Congress and a historical administration coming into power, the Democrats should be cooperating toward a common goal. But already, there’s friction on Capitol Hill. When it comes to money and power, the tactics of long-time politicians are often indistinguishable between the parties.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has publicly opposed Obama on the issue of seating the proposed senator from Illinois, Roland Burris, who was nominated by the disgraced, and now impeached, but non-convicted Illinois Gov. Rod R. Blagojevich. Sen. Dianne Feinstein of California took public exception to Obama’s nomination of Leon E. Panetta as the CIA director, seemingly most disgruntled because she was not consulted on the decision. Feinstein has now come out in support of Panetta, but not before joining Reid in creating a public perception of discord within their party.

     Wouldn’t it be better if as Americans we could believe that our representatives in Washington, D.C., have the capacity to step up with true leadership when a crisis strikes the country and that they are able to act in the best interests of their constituents? This is a time that is a real test for our Republic. Our elected officials in the Senate and House need to undergo a paradigm shift in their world views if the Obama administration is going to find any measure of success in the next four years. Rather than jockeying for position on the Hill, they could actually step back and think about what it will take to pull their employer, the United States of America, back on track.

    Inauguration Day will be historic, whether or not the U.S. Congress, after the day has passed, decides to pull together and agree on a path that will improve the lot of our nation. But if they can find a way to move toward meaningful cooperation and action, it is just possible that the country can now look forward to real, focused, organized progress during the Obama administration.