Why I Pray for the Best for the President

I have received a few messages from people who seem confused by my post yesterday quoting The Anchoress. Her original statement also references the fact that some on the left hoped for "Iraq to go wrong" in order to win the presidency back. She also yesterday noted that a conservative website was calling for prayers for President Obama to fail.

Praying for the president to fail in our world means praying for poverty and death for Americans and most of humanity. Obama was clearly not my choice for president (5 seconds reading this blog and you get this I hope).

And yes, I am creeped out by things like this



(And things like this are not new, it has been going on for over a year now). To answer one friend's message, being inspired is one thing (my parents inspired me), this is something else.

But to pray for the president to fail? That is like praying for the strength to cut of my nose to spite my face.

EDITED TO ADD -- I finally made it to the end of that video. Go to 3:54. I am not a servant to the President. He is mine.

A Thought for Inauguration Day

From the Anchoress --

"Obama was not my choice and I am appalled and a bit creeped out by the near-worship of him I’m seeing, but I do pray for him, and want the best, not the worst, for him, and for my country."

Amen sister, amen.

Advice to President Elect Obama

Everyone it seems has advice for the President Elect. So here is mine.

Back in 1968, Gore Vidal and William F. Buckley were hired by ABC to give commentary on the election. While both Vidal and Buckley hated each other (during the Democratic Convention they almost came to blows, so for most if not all of the remainder of the campaign they never sat in the same studio) the advice they gave on Election Night still is relevant.

Heed the ghetto as well as the boardroom, but also remember that the best run country in the world is Switzerland, and no one knows the name of that country's president.

The Inauguration

Some on the right have been noting that the Obama inauguration will cost significantly more than the Bush inauguration of 2004. There is some humor about this, given that then many on the left argued that such expense was indecorous with US troops fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. At the time, I can remember feeling uneasy with the amount spent on the Bush inaugural.


I guess I find he whole inauguration process a bit distasteful, no matter who is president. It seems a bit non-[small r] republican to me and somewhat monarchical. But I agree with the Anchoress -- if McCain was elected you would be hearing complaints about the cost. So let soon to be President Obama have his party, he has a heavy burden the next four years.

So good luck President Obama. You will need it.