"We want you to succeed"

President-elect Obama met with the current and surviving past presidents today, at a luncheon hosted at the White House by President Bush. The group met with reporters in the Oval Office before the meal, and President Bush welcomed Obama with these words:

"We want you to succeed."

I think that's exactly right and what should be in the hearts of every American. Now, what we each think "success" means ranges over a broad spectrum of political beliefs and approaches. But the basic message, to me, is this - "We want you to guide this country in a way that will leave America better off at the end than at the beginning, or at least no worse." That's a pretty tall order. We can also debate "better off" or "no worse", but I think we all know the essence of that. We want to stay free. We want to be safe. We want to stay relatively solvent. We want to worship God as we choose. That's all.

So, President Obama will be in my prayers, sincerely and frequently. I hope God will guide him and the country through the rocky years ahead. And I hope Obama tends more to rationalism than liberalism. It's our best hope.