I just wanted to post this before February comes along. Everyone knows how momentous President Obama’s inauguration was Jan. 20 because despite what political party you belonged to, America has broken through racial boundaries and have elected their first African American president. As much as people shouldn’t have voted due to race or color, it was still historical and emotional.
Due to this, Perze and I felt that it was important to let Emma have a simple experience of watching history manifest by exposing her to the inauguration.
I asked her if she knew who he was, and true enough, from all the coverage of the presidential debates last year, she correctly responded, “Obama” and that he was our new “president.” During the televised event, she kept asking toddler-like questions deduced by her observations, like “who’s that?” (pointing to his family, mainly his daughters), or “are they making him sad?” (referring to the musical quartet), etc…I think she’ll just appreciate this video years and years down the road- maybe even use it for show and tell :-).
It’s been a week so far into his presidency, and numerous news and critiques already surround the president’s choices. Even I, myself, don’t feel completely in agreement with the decisions he’s recently made regarding Gauntanamo Bay, or sending twice the number of troops into Afghanistan/Pakistan, or the seemingly irrelevance of spending 300 some million dollars for promoting sex education and providing contraceptives to “stimulate the economy”, and buying cars for government officials included in the economic stimulus plan. I know these are selective issues, but I’m not just praying for our president, but for our country, and the rest of its leaders. I honestly hope and pray that our leaders, president included, will make the right decisions for our country, without pride or selfish agenda.
I don’t want to join the masses who think he’s a savior, and I don’t want to indulge in those who claim he’s the antichrist. Things like that just upset me. I just hope he is a man who God will use during his term as president.