Failure is Not an Option

I feel that it is time to clarify my message. I do not want Obama to fail! That is insanity!

A few weeks ago Rush Limbaugh was credited with saying that he wanted Obama to fail, and while I understand that Rush's livelihood depends on creating controversy, I find such comments to be harmful and destructive. Hoping that the president of the United States fails is like hoping that the captain of your football team breaks his leg, just so you can lead the team. The reason Rush (and others- Democrats did plenty of this crap to Bush) feel safe in saying such things is that they fail to see that we are on the same team.

So, are we on the same team? Are abortionists and anti-abortionists on the same team in any way? Is Pelosi on the same team as former president Bush?

While opponents on major issues may have huge differences of opinion I feel a need to remind them that we are in this together. We can fight extremely hard for our beliefs as long as we do it respectfully and acknowledge that at the end of the day freedom and opportunity are the most important issues. This cannot be taken for granted. We must return, on a regular basis, to our shared goals if there is to be any hope of resolving our differences.

The other side of this argument is that some people are idiots that don't deserve a vote. And while this may be an expedient argument, it is the most dangerous argument of all. We simply cannot neglect to value each other without choosing to give up freedom. And I will not choose to give up the freedom that this great country stands for.

I want us to fight hard. I want us to care deeply. I want us admit that the reason we fight so hard is that we share the dream of peace and prosperity that we have tasted in recent years.

This is not a fight for one side or the other. This is a fight for our future. Forget that perspective at the peril of freedom.