Whomever you supported in the general election, it was difficult for most of us not to appreciate the historic moment when U.S. Sen. Barack Obama claimed our country’s highest office.

And it’s also hard not to admire the campaign he waged in his bid for the White House. For the first black man elected president to have addressed race so rarely in his campaign speaks well of him as a candidate and us as a nation.

Obama recognizes that his election honeymoon will be short-lived. He has already started compiling a list of names for potential cabinet members he believes will serve him well as he begins his tenure in the Oval Office.

Serve him well they better. The nation has serious problems that would unnerve even the most seasoned public official.

So Obama will need all the help he can get as he takes the stage as Leader of the Free World.
His resume in elective offices is rather thin as he spent a good chunk of his time preparing to run for other positions rather than building legislative accomplishments in the offices he held.

A president with less experience can become rattled. To his credit, Obama appears calm under pressure and seeks the advice of knowledgeable sources.

It’s fair to criticize some of the president-elect’s ideas as out of the mainstream. For as intelligent a man as Obama is, throwing around the concept of redistributing wealth was foolish.

But the nation’s welfare is in Obama’s hands, so it’s in everyone’s interest to help him resolve the country’s problems.