One week ago tonight, the Phillies won the World Series.  Last night, the whole of the country got to share the euphoria that comes from winning after hardly daring to hope.  After thirty-six years (I turned 21 in 1970), my internal hope machine feels a bit rusty; while I was happy when Carter was elected (the Democrats' first win in my voting life), the earnest peanut farmer from Georgia did not inspire us the way Obama does.  And while Bill Clinton brought some familiar music and boomer glamour to the White House, his tenure was not without some deep embarrassments (for his family and for his supporters). Whatever failures Obama experiences, let's hope that they're not personal.  

For this man has the ability to move us all--political leaders and plain citizens--to act for our country and for the common good.  He embodies the first principle of Unitarian-Universalism, which is to affirm and respect the dignity and worth of every individual.  And he can build on his empathy and ambition both--to become a great leader who carries the legacy of some great leaders before him: Abraham Lincoln, Mohatmas Ghandi, JFK, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King.  May it be so.