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The media help "evangelize" the masses to place their faith in
government because it increases their own sense of power and value. While government is often better
able to commit "sins," economic or otherwise, than to deliver us from our individual and collective
shortcomings and circumstances, the faith some have in government approaches cult-like status.
President-elect Obama is a blank slate upon which his supporters are writing their own beliefs and
hopes. In a post-election discussion on PBS with Charlie Rose, Tom Brokaw and Newsweek editor
Jon Meacham, there was consensus that no one fully knows what Obama believes, what books he
reads (other than "Team of Rivals"), what his policy toward China or Venezuela will be and where he
wants to take the country.
The major media did a poor job probing Obama's depths beyond sound-bite answers and feel-good
responses. "In the tank" was a frequent — and in my view accurate — description of the big media's
failure to properly do its job. Smaller media — aka cable news — didn't do much better, focusing on
selected rants by Rev. Jeremiah Wright and the ‘60s radical, William Ayers. Substance is hard to find on
TV, making it essential that print journalists live up to what once were higher standards and probe the
depths of anyone running for president.
For African-Americans, Obama represents a hope and a possible nightmare.
Obama Oath of Office. Illustration by Dana Summers/The Orlando Sentinel
Though he is half-white,
African-Americans (after some initial reluctance brought on by their fealty for Hillary and Bill
Clinton) enthusiastically embraced him. Consider the election night reaction from Harvard's Henry
Louis Gates Jr., writing on the Web page theroot.com: "Nothing could have prepared any of us
for the eruption (and, yes, that is the word) of spontaneous celebration that manifested itself in
black homes, gathering places and the streets of our communities when Sen. Barack Obama was
declared President-elect Obama. From Harlem to Harvard, from Maine to Hawaii — and even Alaska
— from "the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire … [to] Stone Mountain of Georgia," as Dr. King put
it, each of us will always remember this moment, as will our children, whom we woke up to watch
history being made.
"My colleagues and I laughed and shouted, whooped and hollered, hugged each other and cried.
My father waited 95 years to see this day happen, and when he called as results came in, I silently
thanked God for allowing him to live long enough to cast his vote for the first black man to become
president. And even he still can't quite believe it!"
After the celebrating, which will conclude at the Inauguration, comes the reality.
Can Obama be more than a historical "first"? Can he give back to African-Americans what they once had,
but have no more and most need: intact families with mothers and fathers rearing children
and fewer single teenage mothers? Can he change the thinking of some African-American young people
that excelling in school is not "acting white," but rather acting right? Can he replace despair with
that hope he and his supporters talked about?
If he can lead them out of poverty, hopelessness, failure, prison, joblessness, welfare, single
motherhood and the rest of the litany of despair that has disproportionately infected much of the
African-American community, he will be their Moses and his greatness will be celebrated for generations
to come. And if he fails? What will that do to race relations and the country's willingness to elect
another black person president? The consequences of a failed Obama presidency would be disastrous on
several levels.
That's a lot to project on America's first African-American president, but he asked for it.
Even conservatives who voted for John McCain should wish him nothing but success in such a cause,
should he choose to undertake it.
Cal Thomas is the co-author of "Common Ground: How to Stop The Partisan War That Is Destroying
America" (HarperCollins). Distributed by Tribune Media Services, Inc. CAL THOMAS
Barack Obama Presidential Inauguration Articles
Reviewing Presidential Inaugural History
The inauguration of the first black president will long be remembered as a momentous day in history, but many past
inaugurals also have had their memorable moments. Inaugurals are a mixture of pomp, festival and gravity, the
American equivalent of a coronation. Their rituals are laden with symbols of national purpose, continuity and
unity. For 220 years, they have marked the peaceful transfer of power, a feat few other countries have achieved.
Obama Presidential Inauguration Schedule & Events
With all of the excitement surrounding the event, it’s easy to forget there have been many inaugurations before it. Over
the years, the inauguration has become highly formalized, with the day’s scheduled events taking on almost ritualistic
significance. A look at the Obama Inauguration schedule, events from past inaugurals and how & when certain inaugural
events became part of Inauguration Day.
Obama Inauguration Facts, Trivia and Information for Kids
Parade, luncheon, ball. Being inaugurated sounds like fun. But what exactly is an
inauguration? What happens? Here are answers to your most pressing questions. Plus Inauguration Trivia, Presidential
Pets and the Obama Girls
Obama's new Home was Slow to Integrate
Not too long ago, Barack Obama would have found when he moved his family to Washington that his daughters
couldn’t attend the same schools white children could. They couldn’t try on clothes or shoes at most
local department stores, or eat at downtown lunch counters. Or see a play at the National Theatre or a
movie just a block or two from the White House.
Obama Isn't the Only One Being Inaugurated on January 20th
Arianna Huffington
Barack Obama is not the only one being inaugurated on January 20. And that's not just because Obama has promised to make a call to service "a central cause" of his presidency.
Top 43 Hits - Memorable Lines from Past Presidential Inaugurals
On January 20, 2009 Barack Obama will stand before Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts and swear the
oath prescribed in Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution as the 44th President of the United States.
After taking the oath President Obama will give an inaugural address. Since George Washington's first
inaugural address, many memorable words have been spoken and are among the most enduring and frequently
quoted.
America Receives a Leading Man for the Dramas Ahead
Garrison Keillor
When President Obama takes his hand off the Bible and walks to the Capitol lectern, he carries real power in his pocket,
maybe more than any president since FDR, and some of it he has earned and some is a gift.
Don't Take that Oath, Barack
Mark Bazer
Personally, I'm hoping for a new piece of presidential trivia come Inauguration Day. I'm hoping Barack Obama becomes the
first person elected president to refuse to take the Oath of Office. In other words, I hope he turns down the job.
Don't get me wrong — I like and admire Obama. But that said, and for all Obama's clearly evident wisdom and sound judgment, I just don't
know if president of the United States is the ideal job for him.
Riding on the Wings of Change
Amy Dickinson
Our new president is offering us more than the promise of change. With his historic election, he offered us the
optimistic idea that we can do what we must do. In my experience studying the human condition, we only change
when there is no alternative. And now, there is no alternative. Our national challenges trickle down into our
households. We have family members at war, our jobs aren't secure, our retirement savings seem to be disappearing
and our material lifestyle is under assault.
America in Shock
Nathan Gardels
As we head into 2009, America is in shock. It is not because of the unusual sight of the first black president
taking up residence in the White House. Barack Obama's profile, after all, is familiar to the diverse
population of today's ethnically and racially hybrid America. America is in shock because our economic
and financial landscape is suddenly unrecognizable.
Great Expectations
Cal Thomas
With Barack Obama, it is the reverse. Perhaps because of his
eloquence, lithe body, handsome face and beautiful family (and because he is not George W. Bush),
expectations are so high that they are beyond the reach of any mortal. Perhaps that is why Obama
has been disparagingly referred to as "the messiah" and "the one."
Awaiting the Transformational Presidency
Arianna Huffington
President-elect Barack Obama is obsessed with Lincoln, who changed the country both by changing government policy and by
using the bully pulpit to help us change ourselves.
Europeans Love 'Alabama'
Rick Steves
With a new political era dawning in America, the world is paying attention. I remember the first time my Italian
friends expressed a curiosity and enthusiasm about some black politician named "Alabama." Now everyone knows
Obama's name, and we have a president whom people around the world want to look up to.
Is This the End of Black
Leonard Pitts
Those who claim we live in a post-racial America are guilty of no sin greater than wishful thinking. But
that doesn't make them any less incorrect. Not simply because people are still being pulled over for driving
black but, more fundamentally, because Obama's victory does not mean what some of us think it does. I don't
mean to suggest it does not embody breathtaking progress — it does.
A New Way of Being on this Planet
Robert Koehler
Something has to change about how we conduct our business and live our lives . . . no, that's putting it too mildly. A spiritual
awakening has to occur, the shock and awe of awareness as we look unblinking at the state of the world as it really is.
As the Decider, The True Barack Obama will Become Clear
Jonah Goldberg
Over the interminably long campaign, Obama's positions "evolved" to suit his political needs. This is hardly
extraordinary. Pretty much every successful presidential candidate embarks on a similar ideological migration
Special Inaugural Crossword Puzzle
Can you solve this special inaugural crossword with your mom, dad or your favorite grown-up?
Yes, you can! Kids solve the across clues while adults tackle the down ones.
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