Following the results of the election I waited a while to write this. My immediate reaction was too euphoric to be trusted. In the mean time the reaction of the world has become evident and it is a very thrilling spectacle indeed. It was never imagined that so many people would be expressing so much relief at the demise of an American administration. We knew our reputation was at a low ebb internationally and here at home the president hit the lowest rating (only exceeded by the congress) that any president ever had.

Now the problem is for the new president to bring sanity to a disastrous foreign policy, tackle the infrastructure deficit, rescue an abused environmental program, correct a totally mismanaged health program, and as an aside solve the financial crisis that our legendary economic community has foisted upon the world. All this at the same time burdened by an astronomic national debt. Why anyone would aspire to the reins of leadership under such circumstances is awfully difficult to comprehend. David had it easy against Goliath. Goliath was a stupid oaf,David had a secret weapon. The world fiscal crisis is no Goliath and we have no secret weapon. Paradoxically it has been necessary to rely on the same people that created the crisis to solve it. So far the results have not been impressive, to say the least.

Bush in 2000 was installed by fiat of the supreme court. Obama got fifty two percent of the popular vote. The Bushites are whining that "almost half" of the country voted for Palin, opps, I mean McCain. The extreme element of the losers are turning violent. Hate crimes, racist rallies, and nasty slogans, i.e. "he's not my president" a bumper sticker no less, are popping up all over the country. Usually levelheaded Maine has some loonies. This frothing at the mouth from overheated zealots will hopefully soon burn itself out as the unemployment problem exceeds the passion of politics.

With a firm hand at the wheel and a level head Obama will begin to right the ship of state. Our job is to be calm and not over anxious about immediate results. It didn't happen overnight and it won't be corrected overnight. It is my hope that Obama's willingness to talk (negotiate) with the Iranians will help to disentangle the Gordian Knot that the Middle East has evolved into. Bush's weak handling of the Israeli-Palestinian question where the question of settlements was concerned, that is one of the key points of contention, simply accepted the "facts on the ground" as a basis for not requiring Israel to return to the 1967 borders. Currently regarding Iran it is realistic to accept "the facts on the ground" that Iran is, thanks in large part to the miscalculated invasion of Iraq. the dominant, most stable state in the region and has vast influence over the neighboring counties. We must treat Iran as a worthy partner in solving the entire M.E. dilemma. Ahmadinajad will likely be replaced in the next Iranian election and a more rational leader will emerge.

This is a momentous period in the history of our country and the world. We have a great opportunity to capitalize on it.