Reality Check

So… I’m still in a bit of a funk today. I’m having the hardest of hard times coming to grips with the reality of the nation’s political situation, truth be told. Here’s part of an e-mail exchange I had with SN1 earlier today:

Me: So... here I am, waiting for the coffee pot to finish its magic. Yesterday was SUCH a strange day. I was up until 0400 yesterday morning, watching all the election returns (Missouri and N. Carolina still "too close to call" as I write), and up again just after noon. When I say "strange," I mean the feeling I get whenever I see The One's smiling face and hear people refer to him as "President-elect Obama." I've even said "President Obama" out loud a couple of times and it simply doesn't work for me. At all. I'm still in something akin to a mild state of shock. In my heart I knew McCain would lose, but the reality is very hard to accept.



What's the temp like among the troops? Most of the milbloggers I read have the typical military attitude... Obama will be the CinC, and that's that. Salute smartly and move on...

SN1: As for the local mood regarding the election…you hit it spot on. Here’s an excerpt from an email I wrote the kids:

Ok...now that the initial shock has worn off...

The beauty of our country is our ability to have an election, peacefully transfer the greatest power on the planet, and press on with our lives.

We'll be ok. I don't agree with the man on a lot of things...but he'll be the president and I'll support him, because he is our nation's leader. That's what we in the military do...we follow our leaders.

So you nailed my sentiments…and those of most around here…right on. I’m having a hard time imagining him as the CinC as well…I really don’t want to retire while he’s in office…another reason to stay in…

I’ve noticed in my ramblings around the ‘net… through the (primarily military) blogosphere… that the above opinions are nearly universal, and that comes as NO surprise to me. As SN1 stated… “that’s what we in the military do… we follow our leaders.” The key point is left unsaid, of course. But, just to clarify for readers of little or no military experience, there are two salient points in play here.

First and foremost: everyone who puts on the uniform of our country swears an oath to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States” and “I will obey the orders of the President of the United States and the orders of the officers appointed over me” (there are minor differences between officer and enlisted oaths, but let us not quibble over details). I cannot over-emphasize the importance of this oath, as it ends with the words “So help me God.” You swear the oath, you make a commitment in the presence of the Deity and invoke His help. This is NO small thing. It’s the very essence of what it means to be in the military and that essence remains a part of you as long as you live. Or it should, at any rate. There are always a few outliers.

Point Two: The President of the United States isn’t the President of the Democrat/Republican/What Have You Party… he’s the President of the United States, duly and lawfully elected to that office by the people. As such, the incumbent is OUR president, and that’s no small matter, either. I could launch a huge tangential rant about how annoyed I was with the Left for failing to realize this fact over the course of the last few years, but I’m sure you know where I’m coming from, Gentle Reader. And I flat REFUSE to become the right-wing equivalent of a moonbat by saying shit like “Obama isn’t MY president.” The people have spoken, for better or worse, and we’ll have another go at this four years on. In the meantime… I suggest any malcontents out there suck it up and get with the program. Otherwise? Vote with your feet. There are airplanes departing these shores every single day. Get on one and be gone, as you obviously don’t “get” what this country is all about. I’ll end this part of the rant right here… or, ‘nuff said.

One last point… I agree with what Cassie has to say on this subject:

It remains for us now to find a way to reconcile our political differences, for despite the rhetoric of hope and change our differences are stark and will not give way to the fuzzy talk that wins votes. This will require grace and magnanimity from the victors as well as restraint and willingness to forget old grudges from the losers in this contest. We need not forebear to criticize, but we should never undermine policy once Mr. Obama takes his oath in January.

And above all, let us respect the dignity of the office of the President. He has earned it by dint of the campaign he ran, as well as by virtue of the thousands of votes cast for him. It is well that there will be no unseemly haggling over the vote counts, as happened in 2000 and 2004. This has been a long contest and with two wars going on and an economic turndown to deal with, our energies will be best directed to the conversation about the America we want to leave for our children and grandchildren.

The good news is that we all still have a voice in that America. Let's roll our sleeves up and make it a better place.

What she said.

(Image from The Wiki)