President-elect Barack Obama wants to launch his Administration in a way that communicates his desire for a change in the tone of Government in Washington.  This will not be easy.

In the modern era, newly elected Presidents move quickly to demonstrate an ability to usher through Congress some campaign pledge.  With Democrats firmly in control of both divisions of the legislative branch, the easiest accomplishment will be movement on some democratic principle.  At this time, the misguided military action in Iraq outranks all others.

President Obama will need to speak to the Nation at prime time, during which he lays out the withdrawal of U.S. troops in a manner which parallels his campaign promise.  Additionally, he must convey such to General David Petraeus, the Commander of U.S. Forces in Iraq.  While Petraeus has masterfully designed a winning military strategy in Iraq, which has dramatically reduced levels of violence, this change agent President, must early on, provide comfort to Democrats and Republicans who loathe this war, and embraced Obama because of his steadfast opposition to an occupation in Iraq.

The negative side of such a move will be the unavoidable interpretation by rank and file Congressional Members that the “super liberal” Obama simply wants to run them over.  Therefore, the new President should simultaneously sit down with Republicans, because a supremely strong President can afford to be supremely bipartisan.  Barack Obama, the forty fourth President of the United States and his Democratic Congress must send Republicans a one word note – “we.”

This entry was posted on Friday, November 7th, 2008 at 1:15 pm and is filed under Uncategorized .