A few weeks ago Stacy (who is pretty much as conservative as I am liberal) was reflecting on the year behind and the year ahead, and said,
"The most hated President in the history of Presidents is about to say goodbye, and we can see if President Elect Obama can make good on his promises. It's sort of like having a backseat driver for the past 8 years and finally throwing up your hands and saying "Would you like to drive? Go ahead!" We'll see if they can do better."
Talk about hitting the nail on the head--I think I snorted my coffee laughing! As one of those backseat drivers, the analogy captures my feelings over the past 8 years just as much as I'm sure it captures Stacy's as a driver.
Because I don't hate George Bush. I don't think he's gotten up each morning, put his pinkie to his lips, and thought to himself, "How can I destroy the world today?" I'm willing to believe he's had good intentions.
But, at the same time, as one of the people in the backseat, it's been tiring, frustrating, and at times infuriating, to be constantly thinking, "Umm, shouldn't we have turned there?" Constantly having that panicky "we're going in the exact opposite direction from what we should be" weight in my chest. And occasionally even being driven to exclaim, "Where the hell are you going? Can't you see we're headed the wrong way?!?"
And, like a backseat driver who finally gets to slide behind the wheel, today it feels like we're looking at the map, letting out a deep breath, putting our hands at ten and two, and turning the car around. We might not get where we need to be by the fastest route. There will almost certainly be a few wrong turns and detours....
But at least we'll be heading in the right direction!
