Obamania

I am so excited. I have never had so much invested in politics. Obama is appealing on so many levels; he's a thin, classy, black man with the definite appearance of a commander in chief. Of course, I'm also very optimistic concerning many of his proposed policies. Did you hear what he said about science in his speech?

We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.

As a hopefully soon to be scientist and a member of the Society for Conservation Biology, these promises are very encouraging; lots of new opportunities and monetary support for research, right in time for me to graduate (grad school, yes I already have the bachelors) and jump on them. I also think his presidency is going to do wonders for world relations, it already is just by being. Honestly, I have tended toward more conservative health care and economic policies in the past; however, with the state of affairs right now, after 8 years of conservative policies, I'm thinking liberation...and by that I mean giving the left wing a try. I was also filled with a sense of pride earlier in my country. I was listening to NPR, and the World was on, they were reporting congratulations, optimism and expressions concerning the new regime from all over the world. Obama is the first president whose origin is not Northern Europe. Yeah, his middle name is Hussein, his father is Kenyan, his family was bi-racial, he's our president.

Let it suffice that I am incredibly hopeful for this administration.

Finally, a farewell to President Bush. Your legacy is tarnished, but I choose to believe you did what you thought was right. I recognize, there must be so many decisions with no right answer, which I thank God I will never have to make. Of course, looking back Iraq, Guantanamo, Katrina, economic meltdown...Dick Cheney...all standout (like sore thumbs), but there was also 9/11 and Africa. With seemingly no political or economic interest, Bush enacted a $15 billion plan to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS in Africa and around the world. Within the 5 years since the announcement, more than 10 million people with HIV/AIDS have been cared for by U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), a 20,000 square foot state-of-the-art Children’s Clinical Center of Excellence opened in Kampala, Uganda, in October 2008 and now deliver HIV/AIDS care and treatment to more than 9000 children and families across Uganda. This is a hallmark in humanitarianism, hope and life to millions and millions of people, not to mention plain and simply, the moral thing to do. Bush will be judged by history, probably with the disasters of the Presidency in the spotlight. However, we elected you. So, thank you President Bush for being our President, from at least me and no doubt the millions of Africans and future Africans whose lives were restored by your decision. With that said, bring on OBAMANIA.