U2 performing at We Are One Concert, Lincoln Memorial

In a few hours, President-elect Obama will lose the "elect" from his current title and become the US' 44th President and first ever African American president. His election represents so much: a decisive rejection of the policies of the past four years, the progress the country has made in it's race relations, a return to an optimism and responsibility about what it means to be American not seen since the days of JFK.

Apart from the amazing pride that he has given to Americans (especially living abroad like me) as well as the new found faith he's given to the rest of the World that we as Americans haven't become complete imbeciles, the major change that Obama's campaign championed is not likely to come immediately as a result of his election. He will still have to operate within the bounds of Washington politics. The honeymoon period WILL wear off and he, like every other President, will see darker days, perhaps much sooner than most: remember Iraq, the economy, and Israel/Palestine?

(NOTE: If Bono ran for President, he probably would've won)

But I hope that he and his administration can turn this tremendous good will and positive energy into a sense of ownership and commitment from all Americans to be better than we have been in the past, and in fact to be the best we can be as individuals and ultimately as a nation. The problems facing America and the world are complex and challenging; they cannot be solved simply by soothing speeches and patting each other on the back. It will take compromise, tough decision making, sacrifice, and even faith. It will require all of us, from every class, background and ethnicity, to bolster each other up, to take greater responsibility as individuals, friends, parents and colleagues, to have belief in ourselves that we are capable of that which we have been incapable previously.

I do believe though, just like all those braving the freezing temperatures currently in DC to watch this historic inaugurationj, that Obama's resounding victory signals a ready willingness by the American people to take up this challenge to work hard and fix what needs fixing in our country and in the world. While it will be a long and painful road, after reading Audacity of Hope and seeing his campaign in action this past year, I believe he has tangible plans based on sound logic and strategy, and also know how to manage a team to get things done. It also seems that he has the mettle to make the unpopular decisions and deal with the ineveitable tough times that I believe (given the state we're in today) will be as intense as those that W faced. But I have faith that he is strong enough to deal with all those things and still lead us through next four years.

I believe that Obama is ready to lead; now ask yourself if you are ready to follow.

Pastor Rick Warren Inauguration Controversey

The firestorm continues over Obama's selection of pastor Rick Warren to deliver the invocation at the inaguration on Jan 20. Without knowing too much about Warren, I can say definitively that a.) I disagree with him on his stance on gay rights and believe that Prop 8 should NOT have passed, and b.) I very much respect the work he's done with faith-based organization on behalf of AIDS victims in Africa and environmental causes.

All in all however, I do support Obama's choice in Warren and see it as a recognition (and affirmation) that there are AMERICANS (they live in the same borders, go to the same schools, voted for the same President-elect that I did) that profoundly admire and respect this man. My first introduction to Warren was while watching the Presidential Faith Forums that he hosted this summer, where he interviewed both candidates on their thoughts on Faith and other related issues. It seemed that he was interested to learn, not to preach, to understand (both for himself and his congregation) the views of these candidates as they communicated them, NOT interrogate them on their stances.

To me, he seems like the best one could hope for to represent evangelicals who largely stand in opposition to liberals. The criticism voiced by opponents Warren's selection seems identical in tone, fervor and intensity as those proponents of Prop 8. If we cannot include even middle of the road, altruistic leader like Warren in the dialogue, how will we ever expect to convince the hard-liners whose vote counts the same as any other? To simply write Warren off as a conservative and criticize his selection ignores the fact that millions of American evangelicals look to him for spiritual, moral and even political guidance. For that reason, as well as for the sake of true dialogue, this is a man we want to include and that we want to have an ongoing conversation with. If we refuse to do that, it only proves that liberals can be as close-minded, stubborn and keen to only include those in the conversation that share their convictions, as the conservatives they battle against.

Find out more on the inauguration.
Find out more on Proposition 8.
Find out more on Rick Warren.

Here's the footage of the actual invocation.