Republicans, too, hail Obama’s achievement

I am a Republican and there aren’t many more dedicated than I am. I served as a Republican in the U.S. Congress, as the Secretary of the Army to two Republican Presidents, as the campaign manager for President Gerald Ford’s campaign and as a member of the Republican National Committee from two different states, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that I was strongly supporting John McCain.

I stayed up until Sen. Barack Obama won Ohio and Pennsylvania and then went to bed, not wanting to take any more pain. But I couldn’t sleep. How could it be that Obama won the election? I have always believed that the American people will almost always make the right decision if given the facts. And here, the facts were with John McCain on most issues —- such as free market vs. government intervention, small government when possible and tax reductions in times of financial stress. So what went wrong? I couldn’t figure it out.

When I woke up, I turned on the television and watched McCain’s gracious concession speech, followed by an equally gracious speech by Obama. Both speeches were given quietly and sincerely. The words themselves were reassuring. Then I saw those celebrating at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and the young people from Georgetown surrounding the White House. This was clearly a very special moment. Gone were the wild cheers of the campaign. What I saw everywhere were calm, smiling people who knew they had taken part in a historic moment. They recognized that something important had just happened.

That is when I had my epiphany. I realized that, no matter what issues McCain had going for him, Obama had the one issue that trumped all of the rest. Obama had just become the first black American to win the presidency. And he had won against great odds, first against formidable opposition in the Democratic primary, then against a national hero in the general election. In doing this, he has shown once and for all, that any American, black or white, poor or rich, can do anything. This was my epiphany. No one can legitimately say, “I can’t,” ever again.

This is what President Lincoln fought for when he freed the slaves. It is what Rosa Parks and John Lewis and Andy Young and others fought for in Montgomery and Birmingham. It is what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. dreamed for. Now all Americans must realize they have the opportunity to fulfill any dream. There was no “Bradley effect” in the election. In the past, we have had divisive arguments about affirmative action, reverse discrimination and quotas. Now we can all work together in the common goal of guaranteeing opportunity to everyone, Republican and Democrat, black and white or, to follow Obama’s lead, to be all that we can be. Obama shows that it can be done.

If I tell my grandchildren about this remarkable thing that Obama has done, they will probably say: “Cool! The next president of the United States is your new best friend.” Yes, today, Obama, you are my new best friend. You have given a knock-out blow to racism in America and I will be glad to join you in seeing that it never rears its ugly head again. Not ever! For this, I thank you. But don’t misunderstand me. I will still oppose you with all my strength when I think you are wrong, but I will do so with the respect that your accomplishments and your office as president of the United States deserve.

And, since you are my new best friend, I hope this gives me the right to make a suggestion. Why don’t you, within the next 10 days, hold a joint news conference with Rep. Charles Rangel (D-N.Y.), the Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, to announce your support for a change in the tax code to allow businesses to expense all capital expenditures on their tax returns for the next two years. Get out of the way when you finish, because not even the Secret Service may be able to protect you from the rush of contractors running to start building the huge number of job-creating factories and buildings that will result. The free market is awesome when you turn it loose.

But whether you take my suggestion or not, whether you govern from the left or the right, whether we end up fighting over policy or agree on compromise, I want you to know that I, your previous adversary, salute you. And for at least this one day, I am proud to call you my friend.

> Bo Callaway lives in Pine Mountain.