Obama's still got a lot ahead of him

F irst and foremost, congratulations are in order for President-elect Barack Obama. Obama's historic rise to power was nothing short of remarkable; his unprecedented success was one of the most important accomplishments in modern American history. Obama's triumph proves that anything is possible in America, the greatest country on Earth.

But the honeymoon is over. American is in a crisis. The economy is at its worst levels in 70 years and several thousand more Americans are expected to be laid off in the months ahead. Most financial and economic experts agree that we have not yet reached rock bottom. On Wednesday, the stock market plunged nearly 500 points-by far the largest decline ever on the day following a presidential election. This may have been a function of investor disapproval of the election's outcome. What is indisputable, however, is that Americans are concerned, moreso than ever, about the direction this country's economy is headed in. Obama must recognize that more than half of Americans (according to exit polls) considered the economy the most important issue in this election. The president-elect must surround himself with the best economic advisers on the planet to stave off further economic declines.

Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are still ongoing (despite the fact that only 10 percent of the population described the wars as the most important issue to them in the election). Although October 2008 yielded the fewest American casualties in any month since the war in Iraq began in 2003, Iraq is still an extremely dangerous place with well over 100,000 brave American men and women on the battle ground. Afghanistan is no walk in the park either. Whatever Obama decides to do as far as troop withdrawal, he must protect the honorable men and women serving our country and bring them home safely. Obama's legacy will be largely shaped by how he handles the transition in Iraq from the Bush administration to the Obama administration.

Perhaps the most important thing President-elect Obama must keep in mind is that more than 56 million Americans cast their vote for John McCain on Tuesday, not to mention the millions of votes received by the third-party candidates. Just over half (53 percent) of the population voted for Obama. Though Obama's victory in the Electoral College was commanding and impressive, Obama's numbers in the national popular vote were not nearly as overwhelming. Obama, to his credit, acknowledged this expansive group of voters in his victory speech Tuesday night in Chicago: "to those Americans whose support I have yet to earn, I may not have won your vote tonight, but I hear your voices, I need your help, and I will be your president too."

Obama must follow through on his promise. His continuous calls for bipartisanship and national unity must be brought to fruition. He must be the president of all Americans, blue or red. Obama's intentions appear noble and his goals desirable, but they are nothing without follow-through. The time to impress and please the tens of millions of voters who did not think Obama was the right choice for president is now. Democratic majorities in the House and Senate will present tempting opportunities for Obama to push through a liberal agenda that is way too "left" for most Americans. He will be wise to fight the temptation to push through the most liberal of legislative matters.

Certainly we are all happy that we don't have to hear the phrases "swing state" or "Electoral College" for at least a few months. No more will we hear about Joe the Plumber or Sarah Palin (at least for a little while). The country has spoken and it has asked for change. That change is coming Jan. 20, 2009, and one only hopes that it is for the better.