"As others have stated this will be a day that will go down in history as one to remember by all and hopefully it will be the start of positive change, cohesiveness and cooperation between all. Only time will tell. I do not recall such an outpouring of hope since John Kennedy was elected as President." - Laurence C. Olivier
I have, before ever reading or hearing my dad say it, that despite the obvious comparisons and affiliations, said that President Obama is our Kennedy (JF or RF, you can choose). Having grown up during a series of Reagan-era economics and Cold War policy (I pretty much missed Carter and inflation), watching Reagan "tear down" the Berlin Wall, and then spending my early teenage years wondering what a SCUD missile was to the soundtrack of Lee Greenwood (Proud to be an American), I didn't have much to look up to from the policy makers. Even with the promise of Clintonian times and the joy of a (somewhat) legitimate third party, things were never as bright as what history says the 60s and early 70s were.
But nothing in my lifetime ever compared to the hope and promise of this one man. Some people feel it all just a bunch of hype, and to a degree, it has been. The only other time that I can imagine that a political image (the Obama 'O') has been so prominent and powerful are in the books and movies of World War II. Luckily, this one doesn't instill fear in all who gaze upon it.
Still, to me, this whole scene has been completely unparalled in my lifetime. Some of us can't believe an African American is now the President. For me, it hasn't mattered. This hasn't been an issue about race, this has been an issue about a man who believes he can truly get opposites working together for the betterment of not only our country, but the world. To paraphrase, greatness is what you create, not what you destroy.
Here is to hoping that this man of hope and equality can bring about something truly unparalled, something that we can all be proud of, and that will help to make a better world for my son's generation.
