Hope

We are in the midst of a depression. I don't mean an economic hole, although there is daily evidence to suggest that this is where we are headed, if we are not already there. I mean we are mentally beaten and bruised. We know it, we feel it, we see it. Each day we struggle to put any kind of positive spin on what is spinning out of control. We have lost our way and lost our footing. Led by one who is without vision, without power, and without standing or respect in the worldwide community, we are in desperate need. We must present an image, to ourselves and to the world, of a nation ready to meet tomorrow head on.

We need a rock star. We need a face lift. We know it in our hearts and in our heads. Barack Obama's reception on his recent trip abroad created an absolute mandate, telling us what we must acknowledge. The message sent by the foreign leaders, and by the masses, was that it is not just America that needs hope in itself. It is the world that is demanding and begging to be excited by an America that presents an image of the possibility of greatness.

Can anyone remotely conjure up an image of McCain going on the same trip that Obama just completed and generating anything resembling the type of excitement that we just witnessed?McCain, watching Obama grab the headlines and the imagination of those he met with and spoke to, could do nothing but snipe and complain. If we think it is unimportant how those around the globe perceive us, we are gravely mistaken. We all know that what we are and what we will become is no longer solely a product of our own devices. If we are shunned and minimalized, we are going to have an even harder time digging ourselves out of the morass in which we presently are mired.

A young Andre Agassi led an ad campaign that said image is everything. While we scoff at the emptiness of that thought, in this context it has a resonance that is unmistakably critical. Our starting point as a nation is to project a greatness within us that is ready to come out. It is from this base that everything must flow. We are wounded and we need an infusion of new blood to get us out of our sick beds and back on to our feet. The thunderous applause that Obama received as he looked out on a crowd of 200,000 in Germany should serve as but yet another catalyst for us in our efforts to once again stand tall .