Hope for brighter future

Barack Obama enters office as the 44th president of the United States with the American public's -- and world's -- expectations at an all-time high.

Perhaps it is in the nature of the man who has been described as a political rock star that his inauguration has drawn such compelling interest both domestically and internationally. We can't remember the last time people were on gluing themselves to a TV set to watch a president take the oath of office.

Much is expected of the man whose quiet, sincere demeanor was exemplified the day before his inauguration when he went to a shelter home to help paint its walls. Most presidents would have been preparing their speeches and preparing to exercise their new-found power.

He choose to lead by example, to get his hands dirty showing Americans that if we all pitch in together, many of our problems can be solved.

As we write this, his inauguration speech is still several hours away, so we cannot comment on what he has said.

But few presidents, perhaps Lyndon Johnson was the last one, enter office with as many major domestic and international issues confronting him, and he will be expected to solve them all, and quickly. That's an enormous and daunting challenge.

And it doesn't look like Congress is going to give him much of a honeymoon. The battle lines are already forming.

Yet, somehow, we have faith that he will make a serious and intelligent effort to address the problems facing this nation. We hope that Congress, mindful that he represents the "will of the people," will work with him to find the necessary ideas and compromises that will restore this nation to greatness. Certainly, the era of partisan bickering must come to an end. With any luck, a new, brighter era for America will emerge with his leadership.

-- Kelly Everitt