A Change or Quick Fix?

With the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama less than two days away, one has to wonder if American citizens are relieved for hopeful change or are just relieved to have the current President out of office. When looking through many editorials in different newspapers, it is apparent that the coming of Obama is a huge sigh of relief for many. After reading an online editorial written by Maureen Dowd of the New York Times, posted January 18, entitled, “The Long, Lame Goodbye,” , I do have my concerns. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/18/opinion/18dowd.html?ref=opinion. Throughout the post, she reiterates that America is ready for a President who works for the people, not for himself. My only concern is how do we know this? I believe when a candidate runs for President, they speak much of what the country wants to hear. Obama’s perspectives on how he will change the current crisis America is in is, to me, better said than done. I believe that when President Bush was sworn into office, it could also be classified as a sigh of relief, but look how his term turned out. Another point that Dowd makes is that Bush is too quick to make decisions. Throughout his term, however, there was not much time to waste to think about decisions. For example, 9-11, the war in Iraq, and the current economy. Much of these disasters were out of his hands and needed to be acted on quick. Bush held the title as President, meaning he is supreme to the land. When events such as these come about, there is no time to waste to hear everyone’s input. I believe any other President in his shoes would have acted the same way. Perhaps it could be said that President Bush’s timing in office was unfortunate in relation to the events that happened. In conclusion, I do believe that America is ready for change, however, we should not be too quick to judge.