Thoughts on a historic occasion

Today is Inauguration Day, and I suppose blogs all over the map will be covering this historic event. Were I black instead of lily white, I'm sure I would be super-thrilled at this occasion.

However, I must confess I did not vote for Barack Obama. I did not think he had enough experience for the brutally tough job of President, and he appeared much too far to the left for my comfort.

Happily, he appears to have moderated his stance and moved toward the center in his recent pronouncements. His financial advisors are more mainstream, though like most others in the Wall Street-Washington axis, they appear determined to push the deficit to unmanageable heights in an effort to cure the ailing economy. What that will ultimately achieve remains to be seen.

I'm an optimist, and I am confident the country will come out of its current troubles stronger than ever. What is still to be determined is how far down the economy will dip and how long it will take to recover.

Like any President, Obama will have to listen to the advice of those around him and choose the course he feels is best. I hope and pray that he makes the right choices.

Watching the news last night, I was struck by the commentators' sense of a pervasive atmosphere of friendliness and goodwill among the crowds arriving for the inauguration. There will always be fringes who can't stand whoever occupies the White House. Hopefully this occasion will be the start of a new coming together among all facets of the population.

As a mystery writer, I enjoy creating stories with happy endings, or at least endings that give hope for the future. May that be the result of today's celebration in Washington.