History has shown many differing views concerning the legacies left by our Presidents. In many instances the historical view of a particular President differs either slightly or greatly from the general view of that President either while still in office or immediately after leaving office.

President Lincoln in his fight to preserve the Union was extremely unpopular with many in the North and of course almost all of the South. Yet in the light of history what he did as President has been proven to be right and he is generally considered by most historians as out greatest President.

President Reagan was thought by many while in office as dangerous and even somewhat aloof as President because of his administrative style of delegating responsibility. Yet as the Berlin Wall fell and the collapse of Communism followed and his economic policy which was controversial at the time proved to work and extend the prosperity of the eighties well past Reagan’s terms of office, historians have ranked him in the top five of our Nations Chief Executives.

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As I was anticipating what Thanksgiving would offer, great food, time with our families, football, Christmas decorating and reflecting on the goodness that God has bestowed, I was traveling on one of the main highways near my home. It was unusually cold for the Southeastern Coastal Area and the chill in the air actually added to the warm holiday feeling.

My thoughts were centering around Thanksgiving and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a 100 foot pole with what I believe is one of the most beautiful sights on earth waiving in the breeze. Old Glory was at full furl in the wind. As I took in this magnificent scene I began thinking about the marvelous heritage we as Americans have that no one else on earth can claim.

A heritage that at times we take for granted which has brought us freedom and liberty that have never been experienced before in human history except in this land we love, The United States of America. Freedom that began as ideals then flourished into the gathering of some of the most brilliant minds the world has ever known who met in Philadelphia in 1776 and displayed the courage to commit treason against the British Crown in placing their names on a most precious document that brought their ideals into reality and gave birth to a nation.

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His campaign mantra was ,”change.” He claimed for 20 months that he was going to shake up the Washington establishment and it would no longer be business as usual. He talked about removing the influence of Washington insiders and becoming the ultimate Washington outsider with his message of ,”hope and change.”

Yet first candidate and now President Elect Barack Obama has shown that he favors the Washington insiders and has no intentions of bringing ,”change.” First he selects the ultimate Washington insider to be his Vice President and now as he works on his transition into the White House making appointments and hiring staff, Obama is creating the third Clinton Administration.

Throughout the campaign Obama attacked John McCain being tied to President Bush and that if elected a McCain Administration would be nothing more that a third, “Bush term.” So Obama is elected and what does he do ? He begins creating a third Clinton Administration. First he selects former Clinton Chief of Staff John Podesta as head of his transition team.

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Since the election was decided almost two weeks ago, there have been commentaries and pundits many who are conservatives who have stated that now that Barack Obama has been elected President, we should wish him well and hope that he succeeds. I have a problem with this type of a blanket wish for success with someone in whom I have no agreement with concerning policy and whose political philosophy, I believe, is not only dangerous for our country but will take us down a path that was never intended by those who Founded this Nation.

Some will look upon this as the rantings of a poor loser. That I will quickly correct. My Presidential candidate has lost the election before. I supported Gerald Ford in 1976, George H. W. Bush in 1992 and Bob Dole in 1996 so I have experienced loss in the political realm before. I am not a sore loser. But just because the opposing candidate has won the Presidency it does NOT mean that I should set aside my beliefs and principles to support someone in whom I do not believe in.

As an American I support the office of the President and respect the position even when I disagree with the office holder because he still is the leader of this Nation and the Commander in Chief of the greatest military in the world. But from a stand point of principle, core beliefs and supporting a policy that I have almost no agreements with is asking anyone to disregard personal and political philosophy just to wish success for someone who is polar opposite of what I believe and stand for.

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Now that the results are in for the 2008 election, the analysis and evaluation will continue for some time. Although from a media stand point, most of the post analysis evaluation is over and the speculation of how the Democrats especially the President Elect will govern dominate the pundits, those within both major political parties are looking at the data and trying to find answers as to how this election developed and what factors brought the final results, especially the GOP.

The Democrats are already looking at this election as a referendum on conservatism and the failure of it as an ideology. As such they also believe that they have a mandate for a liberal agenda and in many respects extreme liberalism which will drive their agenda for most likely at least the first two years of the Obama administration.

There are many within the Republican party who also believe that this election was a failure of conservatism and as such believe the GOP should re-invent itself and “adjust,” conservative ideals to a changing society. Fred Barnes the Executive Editor of the Weekly Standard and a Fox News contributor has already expressed this thought as the key to revitalizing the Republican party.

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In an historic outcome Barack Obama has been elected as the 44th President of The United States. While as a conservative I have many misgivings and disagreements ideologically, politically and philosophically with Barack Obama, as an American I must recognize the tremendous historical significance to his election as President.

For those in our Nation who believe that this country that we love is racist or that anyone who seeks to achieve in this land cannot reach for the stars, then the election of Obama should and must put to rest those thoughts and feelings and acknowledge that this is the greatest Nation on earth. Where a man whose descendants suffered the worst atrocities in our history has achieved the highest office in our land speaks of not only the greatness of our Nation but in the equality and advancements that we have achieved that brought us to this historic moment.

I do believe that we have elected an unknown and untested person in Barack Obama and it is now up to him to prove to all of us that he is more than eloquent speeches and well phrased words. His election, I believe does not change the make up of this Nation and its still conservative nature, but rather a referendum on the failures of the Republican party in neglecting those values and principles that created what is known as the Reagan revolution and the conservative principles that made President Reagan so popular and by most historians one of the greatest Presidents in our history.

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We are entering the final hours of the 2008 Presidential race. This race began literally at the closing of the 2006 election and has gone full steam ever since. We have experienced the longest Primary season in recent memory and are now faced with an election that holds the future of The United States and who we will be as a Nation as the result of this long and at times agonizing road to The White House.

When I say the future of The United States is at stake, this election as opposed to others in our past stands to bring about with its result if one candidate is chosen over the other a fundamental change in the foundational principles that have been the guide for this country since its birth. A candidate who has used ,”change,” as his mantra throughout the election and while many of us suspected it until the words came from his own mouth and have been reinforced ever since, many did not fully understand that the change he promoted was a change in who we are and what this country represents through freedom and Constitutional principles.

That candidate is Barack Obama. For the first time in this Nations history a candidate is poised to possibly become the leader our country and the most powerful man in the world yet he still remains a mystery. And that which is not a mystery namely his stance on the issues presents a fundamental change for this country from a Constitutional Republic governed by laws and principles that have been passed down to us from generations past established from our beginnings.

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