Things I will celebrate tomorrow [Bryan]

I will celebrate the first time anyone I have ever voted for has actually become president. My voting so far has been: 1996 for Bob Dole (yup!), 2000 for Gore, 2004 for Kerry -- one loser after another.

I will celebrate a resurrection of my faith in America and the ideal of democracy. I feel like I (we) made a difference this time.

I will celebrate an end to the Bush administration. Bush was a very ordinary man when we need an extraordinary man. He was small-minded, stubborn, incurious, and defensive, easily manipulated by the powerful people around him. He was completely lacking in self-knowledge, completely convinced of his own righteousness, and completely unwilling to take responsibility for any failure (like most of us). Instead of unifying the country in perilous times, he took every opportunity to exploit tragedy for political gain. I no longer hate Bush, like I did (I am ashamed to admit) during the height of the War. He seems a sad little pathetic man now, and I pity him. But Mr. Bush should never, ever, be given any sort of responsibility again.

I will celebrate the beginning of the Obama administration. Obama is the first contemporary politician I have ever admired on a personal level. He is a man who, unlike Bush, has done the hard mental and experiential work necessary to understand himself, to understand the world in which we live, and to understand other people and nations. He won't be perfect, and he may deeply disappoint us, but right now I am ready to trust somebody again.

I will celebrate that people within our own country and across the globe can see themselves in our new president. I do not only mean racially, although that is a big part of it (I continue to hear reports from across the country about how urban schools have been recharged by Obama's election). I also mean that anybody who comes from broken homes, anybody that wasn't born with silver spoons in their mouths, can enjoy this moment. I also mean that geeks, nerds, and, well, readers everywhere can enjoy this moment -- a true intellectual for president! I also mean that basketball lovers everywhere can enjoy this moment, and revel in the basketball loving cabinet that Obama has put together (this sounds corny, but I think basketball, above all other sports, teachers you a lot about team play, grit and determination, and respect for special expertise and excellence).

I think the next few years will be the last chance for America to restore its moral stature and become again a civilized nation. People worldwide are ready to give us one more chance.

Tomorrow can't some soon enough.