Hail to the Chief

In just a few hours, Barack H. Obama will take the oath of office of the President of the United States in front of adoring crowds that are estimated to be nearly 2 million people. Tens of millions more will watch from televisions at home, work, and around the world.

Upon uttering the following words, he will assume an office that many have sought, but few have achieved:

"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States."

So help him God.

Obama will come to realize very quickly that this job he coveted so badly isn't all that he thought it would be. It is so much more. He will have responsibilities beyond anything he could possibly imagine.

He will make an oath to protect and defend the Constitution and to protect the nation against a wide range of threats. That's an oath I intent to make sure he keeps. His failures in that singular area can and will be his lasting testament.

For all the talk about Bush, prosecutions by Pelosi and all the leftist nutters who want impeachment, they can do so from the safety and comfort arranged by Bush's response to 9/11 and tools that Obama will now have at his disposal. Expect President Obama to continue using those tools and demanding that he have even more latitude to use them than his predecessor.

We're already seeing Obama walk back from talking about this, that, and the other - anything to get elected. Every one of his statements comes with an expiration date. From here on out, history will record them and he will have to live up to the hype. Here's where the rubber meets the road and he's going to have to put up. He can talk to his heart's content, but the actions he takes in just a few hours is what he will be judged upon.

History will treat Bush far kinder than the pundits and leftists are angling for - much to their chagrin. I can only hope that Obama succeeds in maintaining US national security and protects us from harm; his failure means that all his talk is nothing; his actions mean little; and his place in history cemented as someone who failed to keep us safe, especially if he fails to deal with such threats or decides to talk to terrorists and dictators who see only Armageddon in their eyes and prophesies and forcing all those who do not believe as they do to submit to their will.

He faces immeasurable challenges that are both obvious and obscure. The economy is a huge challenge, but one that can be surmounted - though hopefully not by bankrupting the nation through massive spending that will increase the size of government but not actually grow the economy. Papering over the problems that led to the mess will mean that we will face this problem again and again, and the check will eventually come due. I fully expect taxes and fees to rise significantly to pay for the higher spending. Lofty rhetoric will not overcome the harsh reality of a battered economy that is the result of decades of bad policy choices that created and nurtured unnatural housing markets around the nation.

Terrorists have not stopped their plots to attack the United States and our interests and allies around the world. Theirs is a jihad against the West, and one that cannot be defeated by negotiation and diplomacy.

The obscure issues are ones that no one can foresee coming or those that have previously been deemed to be inconsequential but will rear their ugly head in ways that trump all other issues.

I hope he manages to govern with wisdom and knowledge, and will assume my place as the loyal opposition. I will criticize when he's wrong and will applaud when he does something right. I will give him the benefit of doubt that none on the Left gave President Bush.