It's going to be different

Josh is posting reader comments about what the inauguration of Barack Obama means to them. This commentary gets at some of the ideas that I was trying to express in my pre-inauguration post on Monday:

My biggest surprise is that President Obama's inclusive message and total absence of malice; his reaching out to all Americans has actually affected me. For eight years I have been provoked by the Bush administration. I responded by hurling vitriolic invective at both the person and his policies. I was bewildered by the "undecideds" and contemptuous of those who still had "W" stickers on their vehicles. And who were these 27% that approve of his record? I had nothing good to say about them.

Then about six weeks ago, I noticed that my enthusiasm was gone. My outbursts seemed to be out of place in the hospitable and civilized political arena President-elect Obama was attempting to create. I get it now. I understand that he is trying to restore rational discourse between opposing ideas to synthesize an effective solution. Now I feel uneasy when I hear people criticizing Mr. Bush. They seem out of step. I wonder if this can last. I wonder if other people will get it.

I cannot claim to have achieved the generosity of spirit expressed here - I will never lose the pain over the path that the last administration and its enablers led us on, along with the price that we and our children will have to pay for their dangerous folly. The best I can probably say is that I now feel uneasy when I hear people - and myself - criticizing Mr. Bush.

They are not forgiven, and I believe strongly in accountability, but it's time to move on, and finally move forward, and we need all of the help and participation that we can get.