To the newly-elected President Obama:

I would like to congratulate you on your historic victory. It is an absolute honor to be able to witness the election of the first African-American President — a distinction that, until now, has been reserved for fictitious characters in movies and novels.

But to be honest with you, sir, I voted for Sen. John McCain. I am a conservative individual and found many of his ideologies to be much in line with my own. But the fact is, he did not win. So despite our differences in opinion, I accept and respect you as our new president. However, with my offered support I would also like to remind you of the tasks ahead and share with you my expectations.

To put it bluntly, Mr. President, you have just won a nation that closely resembles a “before” picture in an episode of Extreme Make-Over: Home Edition. The foundation is strong and the potential is high, but it is going to take a lot of hard work to restore our nation back to the revolutionary status we have been known for.

In the recent months, our markets have become volatile and unpredictable. The irresponsibility of a few has cost us all, weighing us down with a heavy burden that will take many years to fully alleviate.

National spending abroad has gone out of control, while here at home social security is evaporating before our eyes and malpractice insurance has made health care costs skyrocket out of the reach of many. All this is occurring while our dependence on foreign oil increases and our environmental and educational standards continue to deteriorate.

Needless to say, it is a rather full plate of issues you have inherited. Taking any one of these issues on fully would be quite a task in itself, but as the new leader of the free world, you must tackle them all at once. Are you sure you didn’t bite off more than you can chew?

For all of our sakes, I hope not.

President Obama, you seem to be a man with great vision, which leads me to believe that our dreams for the future of America are actually quite similar — that only our desired paths and methodology to fulfill this dream differ. Although I am a Republican, my ultimate allegiance is to our country, not my party, and I would be remiss to not acknowledge that the actions of my fellow party members has at least in part contributed to our current state. For that, I am truly embarrassed and angry.

But now it is your turn. You have been granted the chance to take the reigns of the nation and lead us back to the upper echelons of collective human achievement.

My wish, sir, is simple: succeed. There is nothing that I want more in this world than to see our nation flourish as we enter a more globalized future. Please, fulfill all the campaign promises that you have made to end petty partisan nonsense and unite us all in a collaborative effort to reinvigorate our sputtering nation. Enact the change that you so passionately preached and so effectively instilled in the hearts of the millions of people who voted you into office.

Keep in mind, however, that your election has become a win-win for people like me. The pressure is now all on you. If you succeed, we will be ecstatic that our nation will have overcome many threatening obstacles and has once again emerged as a globally recognized leader. But if you fail, we will be forced to extend a begrudged “I told you so” by electing a Republican to fill your place in four years.

I sincerely hope that it is the former, for the sake of the country.

With that, I offer you the best of luck in your daunting endeavor. All eyes are on you now, Mr. President.

Sincerely,

Jeff Dickson

Reach columnist Jeff Dickson at opinion@dailyuw.com.