Inauguration Day

Call me sacrilegious, but today's swearing in was overdue and overblown. Yes, I voted for the man. I still have his fading bumper sticker on the back of my paid-for six-year-old Kia Sorento (my wife has that one and the even more faded Kerry/Edwards campaign bumper sticker on the back of her van, which she has refused to take off as long as Bush was in office).

My problem is over-exposure to Barack Obama. From the day he was elected there's been a steady drum-beat of Obama this and Obama that, from his cabinet appointees (six of which were confirmed today) to his evolving policies on the economy and the related stimulus package. I'm suffering from Obama Fatigue, and it's time to turn all of this off.

The best way to do that is for President Obama to hit the ground running and immediately start to work on the staggeringly difficult issues that former President Bush has left behind, both here and abroad. Lord knows the new President's got his hands full.

There will unfortunately be no gentle honeymoon with a new president this time. There's too much to do, too much to correct, too much at stake. I think President Obama certainly appreciates what he's inherited, but I don't think he will every fully appreciate the depth and breadth of the problems he's inherited. I don't think any of us do. I believe it's going to get a lot worse for a lot longer than any of us realize. It's going to take a lot of work, sacrifice, and prayer to solve our problems. It's going to have to start now.

Lord help us all.