Moving On: After the Obama Victory

Ah, we had some fun in the recently ended election, didn't we? Time to move on now. We will trust, but we will attempt to verify. We are willing to work together, but not be steamrolled over. We must tone down the rancor, but not be afraid to speak out. We must stand by President Obama - he will walk into a tough job with extraordinary challenges. Russia is making war noises. N. Korea is resuming its nuclear program. Iranian centrifuges are spinning frantically. We must stand by our new President; he is being briefed even now on matters that you and I will never know anything about. National security issues that would keep us all awake at night if we were privy to the inside info. We must support him, but we must also keep an eye on him. Trust, but verify. Agree where we can, argue when it is needed. Let us all move on. To my friends on the Right, I say the election is over, do not be bitter. To my friends on the Left, I say congratulations. Let us all move on now, get on with our daily lives, love our friends and families, do our jobs. The People have spoken, and we should cherish our ability to change leaders in this nation without revolution or slaughter. Democracy means that some of us win and some of us lose. But we all won, every one of us, when the freely cast votes of Americans were counted. May President Obama be safe, wise, and do well by us all. God Bless America! ~ Tom Mannis, Nov. 5, 2008