Out of our gloomy past
I knew that whichever won, I'd have mixed feelings about it. There is a lot wrong with President-Elect Obama, at a deep philosophical level as well as at a policy level. But there's a lot right with him too. And the same is true of Sen. McCain.
In the troubled history of race in America, this was the most important day since Brown v. Board (1954). In a sense, it is more important, because it speaks not to the question of what can be done to or must be done for a black American, but to what a black American can achieve.
For those of us who love liberty, the next administration will give us plenty to oppose. For those of us who are committed to the pursuit of happiness and the virtue of pride, Mr. Obama may well prove an adversary who must be fought.
But one of the good things he brings is a return of the traditional American optimism, and the traditional Anglophone commitment to a civilized, mutually respectful debate over the important issues of the day. Even those who will never support him on anything else ought to stand with him for these values. They are not as fundamental as liberty, but they are necessary if we are going to fight for liberty.
C.S. Lewis wrote, in one of the Narnia books, that "a noble friend is the best gift and a noble enemy the next best." I think defenders of liberty will find a bit of both in President Obama.
In the troubled history of race in America, this was the most important day since Brown v. Board (1954). In a sense, it is more important, because it speaks not to the question of what can be done to or must be done for a black American, but to what a black American can achieve.
For those of us who love liberty, the next administration will give us plenty to oppose. For those of us who are committed to the pursuit of happiness and the virtue of pride, Mr. Obama may well prove an adversary who must be fought.
But one of the good things he brings is a return of the traditional American optimism, and the traditional Anglophone commitment to a civilized, mutually respectful debate over the important issues of the day. Even those who will never support him on anything else ought to stand with him for these values. They are not as fundamental as liberty, but they are necessary if we are going to fight for liberty.
C.S. Lewis wrote, in one of the Narnia books, that "a noble friend is the best gift and a noble enemy the next best." I think defenders of liberty will find a bit of both in President Obama.