Time to Do This Change Thing

My apartment is back to normal. The beer and champagne bottles have been recycled. The mini keg has been taken out. And the spinach dip that spent the night congealing on the kitchen table has been tossed. Last night's festivities felt like a joyful mix of New Year's Eve, Super Bowl Sunday, Christmas morning, and - oh yeah - Election night, all rolled into one. November 4, 2008 will be one of those dates that you'll look back on and say, "I remember where I was when the American people elected Barack Obama the president of the United States of America."

I'll let the pundits and the historians explain the significance of last night's victory. What does it mean for American politics? What does it mean for race relations? What does it mean for the US's connections with the rest of the world? What does it mean for you and me? Time will surely tell. But those of us living in the United States today will forever be linked to a moment in American history when we smashed the status quo and said we can do better. Nothing is ever going to be the same again - and that's a good thing.

But let's be honest - we just gave Barack Obama a damn difficult challenge. Two wars. The threat of terrorism. An economic meltdown. An environmental crisis. What a reward for almost two years of campaigning non-stop. But I feel Obama is ready - particularly if he surrounds himself with intelligent and dedicated people. I just finished reading James Mann's The Rise of Vulcans: The History of Bush's War Cabinet, a well-crafted, highly-detailed, and fascinating look at George W. Bush's inner circle during his first team. Simply put, you are who you surround yourself with. Every cabinet secretary, administrative assistant, and aide brings a personal history with them when they arrive at the White House which shapes the persona of an administration.

Bush didn't do such a good job of picking his advisors. Over the next few weeks, we'll see who Obama chooses. Joe Biden was a good start. And Rahm Emanuel is a get-things-done kind of guy. So stay tuned to find out who else rounds out Team Obama.

And then let's do this change thing...