The winds of history were definitely at Barack Obama's back.  A terribly unpopular sitting president, unprecedented uncertainty, financial chaos and an underlying sense of fear for the future all added up to insurmountable odds for the incumbent  party.  Barack Obama ran a flawless campaign and was able to distance himself from his past radical associations with finesse and effortless ease.  We still do not know who he is, what he stands for or what he plans to do as President.  Will Obama govern from the middle or from the far left as his Senate voting record indicates?  Will he reach back into past and push hard left positions or will he govern as he ran, pragmatically?  We will have to watch and see.

Barack Obama's election reminds me of the quote from Benjamin Franklin, "Those Who Sacrifice Liberty For Security Deserve Neither."  There is always a trade off, pros and cons, behind every choice we make. I am wondering how much of our Liberty we are willing to trade for some short term security?  To be honest, it is a nagging shadow fear in the back of my mind that clouds my vision and makes it hard to for me not to weigh every choice of the scales of Liberty.

...dramatic pause...

John McCain's concession speech was just another example of the character of the man we all know.  The classy patriotic unifier who has served his country for 50 years did not bemoan his loss or point fingers but stood firmly before his supporters and accepted defeat, absolving them of the failure and shouldering all the blame.  I was truly moved by his concession speech and know that American's understand that John McCain is an American Hero and dedicated public servant.

Now on to Barack's Promises... which ones will he keep?

1. He promised to sign The Freedom of Choice Act "first thing"
   
   
2. He promised a tax cut for every family making under $200,000. (95% of "working families")
   
   
3. He promised to pull all U.S. combat forces out of Iraq within 16 months, send more combat troops to Afghanistan and provide better care for wounded troops and veterans
   
   
4. He promised teachers a pay raise tied, but not limited to, test scores, and an overhaul of No Child Left Behind
   
   
5. He promised to sit down with our enemies.
   
   
6. He promised Universal Health Care
   
   
7. He promised reform on Wall Street
   
   
8. He promised to be a non-partisan unifier
   
   
9. He promised to 'restore America's standing' in the world
   
   
10. He promises to wean America off oil dependency
    
    
11. He promised to "bankrupt" coal fired electricity plants (50% of our electricity production)
    
    
12. He promised his kids a puppy
    

Well, what will happen? Will we move hard toward left or will Obama be a Clinton-eqse centrist who falls in love with the job and knows that the majority of Americans are still center-right?  We have four years to find out.

In the mean time, feel free to pick up a "Don't Blame Me" Bumper Sticker or Shirt from my store front... ;)