So my wife and I were talking about Obama's victory last night.  I was telling her how moving the speech he gave and Grant Park in Chicago was (watch the video: part one, part two).  She said to me "I'm glad he won, but  I hope he doesn't turn out to be just a smooth talker."

It's a worry I've heard before, from a number of people, some of whom I love dearly.  It's a worry I harbored myself during the primaries.

When she said that something occurred to me which had not before.  But it is the best answer I can offer for those who still harbor the fear that our President-elect might be all talk:

It's not really the president who can create transformative changes in our nation.  Nobody could singlehandedly do what needs to be done to get our nation out of the troubles it is in.  It will take the American public, we the people, to do those things.  And in order for people to abandon cynicism and dare to hope, in order for the people to do what needs to be done for this nation, somebody has to motivate us.

A smooth talker, or as I prefer to think of it, a motivational speaker, is exactly what we need.  Someone who will reach across the aisle, build coalitions, and motivate us all to make our nation better.  In the 60's a single man motivated our nation to send a man to the moon with technology that is positively archaic by today's standards.  It was a stupendously difficult task, but all we had to do was decide to do it.  The president can only lead, it is we the people, who will do.

Obama is such a man, as John F.Kennedy did he can motivate people like nobody else I've seen in my lifetime.  I think that with all the problems facing our nation, this is one of our greatest moments.  I will never forget this day.