Barack Obama is President of the USA!

Ruth,

Moonstruck cows and moonbats are the ones who blindly follow and feel the Messiah has come. General references not specifically addressed toward you. We are already enduring the talk and hype of what a great man he is and comparing him to Lincoln, JFK, et al, before he has even made a decision.

And Ruth, I may not agree with my leaders all the time, and I never said that criticizing them is un-American. What I did say is that regardless, I'm ALWAYS proud of my country, warts and all.

I feel that one can "always" find a way to express their opinion without insulting someone else.

Ruth I agree with you.  I am very proud to be an American and love my country.  However, during the past 8 years, I haven't been real eager to wear a sign saying "I am an American" while traveling.  I think that I am safe in saying that the majority of other countries, especially in the Middle East truly hate us.  Unfair as it may be, it's the way it is.

Bob, while I very much appreciate what your years of service have done for all of us to secure and preserve our freedom, "freedom of speech" is one of the rights that you have fought so hard to preserve and Ruth, I and anyone else has the freedom to openly speak what they feel without name calling or criticism.  If you choose to shout to the world that you are an American and proud of it, I think that's great.  Go for it!!  If I choose to hold back because I'm ashamed of our foreign policy, don't want anyone to know that I am, in anyway associated with George Bush, that is "my right" and I enjoy the freedom to express it without any name calling from you.  It's my right!!

None of us know how successful Obama will be.  I think that it's just that after 8 years of Bush, we're all "hoping" that things will improve.  It couldn't get much worse.  Obama is a breath of fresh air and the people appear to be behind him.  Let's all try to support the positive things that he does and make an attempt to keep our representatives honest.

Vera, certainly not being critical of your comment, but maybe my comments will help you understand "why" we're all hopeful.  How is Gordon Brown doing? 

Exactly, Cheri, none of us know how successful Obama will be. I certainly wish him well and pray for a successful administration. I applaud those looking at this with cautious optimism. And free speech applies to me as well. One thing I have learned in online forums is that you can't be too thin-skinned. If there were no differing opinions there would be no forward momentum. And I appreciate your comments.

Cheers,

Bob

While I respect (and would gladly defend) anyone's right to their opinions, it does make me sad to see such cynicism from some in the face of our country's new found optimism. Why the wet blanket?

I don't know anyone, even his most ardent admirers, who seriously believes that Obama has a magic touch. I DO think that people see in him an optimistic, yet realistic, willingness to address the hard issues. He has become the mirror through which we see ourselves, and it's nice not to see ourselves through the eyes of the Bush administration anymore. Certainly, he has yet to prove himself, but there is nothing wrong with a little enthusicastic hope folks.

I for one felt proud while listening to our new young president. I didn't hear pie-in-the-sky rhetoric. What I heard was a realistic optimism about America's future.

Of course "free speech" applies to you also.  You most certainly have a right to express your opinion.  Perhaps the "thin skin" issue is why I don't participate in the forums very much.  You and I just choose to express ourselves differently.

"Hope" is a wonderful word and it keeps us all going.  No matter where you live or who your leaders are, we all have "hope" that things will improve and we can all lead better lives.  To most of us, Obama is about hope.

I think Obama said and has been saying all along that he knows he can't make the wrong.. right.. without an lot of help by everyone, especially the public itself, and he's right....no man is an island unto himself these days.  I think it's going to take some time to sift through it all, to see what can be changed and how it's going to influence others when it is changed. But I think even Obama knows that we can do some things to assure all that is unemployed from going hungry, by planting gardens and fruit trees and sharing with others..There is an level of "life" that needs to be "free" for every and anyone. I feel, in looking at the past and knowing it from the way things today are being done, that when I was an kid, our basics in life were not heavily priced..it was the luxuries. When you heavily price the necessities, pretty soon there is no money for the luxuries to buy and that is exactly what has happened and exactly what is putting the car industry out of business along with the income problem of not sustaining us now in our needs to live from month to month. Our prices need to be in "balance" with the average income, not the high income (tax free) bracket. We need an lower level of over all "free" health care system also...not for just those of low income living off our Government. They need to open up our national parks, under supervison, for the homeless across the nation and allow them to build thier own cabins on them and live there temporarlly until they can get people "stabilized" otherwise. I also disagree that people should have to lose everything they own before help arrives.

Many years ago, after the world trade centers went down and "Bush" went into war battle cry, I said I thought he should stop and take an look before he leapt, and I was told I was "Un-American" ..I asked these zealous "hot-dogger" types if they flew the American Flag on all holidays, if they supported their veterans and Memorial Day, showed respect for their elders...or if they planted those big city wide flags in the back of their high rise fancy pickup trucks  for yelling like idiots, because they liked an "good fight" with someone...like one does in an drunken stupor brawl. Well, that got me ignored from then on I guess you know. But real "freedom" and "patriotism" requires careful and intelligient thinking also. We can't allow our country to be one big "tavern brawl" within the international community or at home. so yes, for some years there I also was almost afraid to say what I thought daily. I have by some been asked "to leave(website)...we don't wanna do what you want!" What I wanted them to do was "think" first before acting out. Humph..if our President runs into this (ego based)  type he won't be successful, they will stop it before he gets an chance to institue anything worth having. All those that have their own personal agenda over the country's agenda as an whole can hurt it's progress. I think Obama knows this. His speech constantly calls for "self-responsibilty" once again in humanitarian ideals of our fore-fathers in "working" toward common good an unity. Look at those whom "bash" the former Presidnet now, they were some of his most ardent supporters in years prior. I find them to be "back-stabbing" people myself. They were not leaders back then, and they don't need to be now...unless they are willingly to roll up the sleeves...and get to work at helping to build an better country for everyone.  All things should be approached with optimism and realism..for the struggles to get one's dreams must be sustained in the heart with common sense..by persuing goodness and small goals worked upon daily until one day you realize them as having been attained...to the greater whole. Dare to dream..but live in such an way as to help fulfill them.   

American friends,

I don't think there is any cynicism or ,wet-blanket> approach at all.

I just find all this Obhama -mania a mystery, why you should have any reason to consider him your nations saviour I cannot understand .

Of course following Bush I expect you are all looking for a change for the better and there is nothing wrong with that, it 's just I can't figure out what is thought to be so specia labout Mr President.

As for Brown and how he's doing,  well I'm afraid my opinion of him and his cronies cannot be aired on a polite site such as this.

Suffice it tocsay the sooner him and his idiot cohorts take themselves to Dover and hurl themselves off the white cliffs the better.