Daily Office: Wednesday
¶ Matins: Kathleen and I watched Senator McCain’s very gracious, very statesmanlike concession speech. We hugged. But we did not jump for joy. We are not breaking out the champagne. We ought to be very happy. Instead we feel deeply abused around the edges. By Reagan and the Bushes and the people who put them in the White House. That’s not going to change overnight.
Barack Obama’s victory is a great thing, and I shall never forget “November 4, 2008.” Kathleen and I are deeply thrilled that he and the Democratic Congress will fill impending Supreme Court vacancies with jurists capable of neutralizing Antonin Scalia. The great slogging job of repairing the Federal judiciary and the Civil Service can begin. The ideologues have been sent packing, and thinking may come back into fashion in our political discourse.
Imagine that!
¶ Tierce: The view from là -bas.
¶ Nones: Certainly no American president has looked as right for the part as Barack Obama, seen up close at The Big Picture. He makes JFK look rather like Bill Clinton — or perhaps that’s the benefit of hindsight, knowing what we know about what went on in Camelot’s swimming pool.
Oremus…
§ Matins. No buts! When I think of the good things that I’ve just mentioned, I feel a glow of real hope. As for dancing in the streets or, in the words of a good friend, being over the moon — no. Not yet, anyway. Please don’t think I’m complaining. Feeling great about a Democratic victory was not part of my bargain!
Perhaps it is just beginning to dawn on me that my wish has come true. And what is it with Indiana and North Carolina? In the midst of all this settled jubilation, they’re still uncertain? That they didn’t go to McCain early on has been, all night, the most encouraging detail. So that’s a victory in itself, whichever way the states’ electors ultimately vote.
§ Tierce. For some reason too crazy to try to recapture, I scheduled a Remicade infusion for this morning at nine. The weather is chill and grey — perfect for the walk along the river to the hospital.
§ Nones. I haven’t made up my mind about Mr Obama’s speaking voice, but at least I can listen to it without allergic reactions. I am a bit worried that he may come to sound like a scold. Oh, call me a party-pooper if you like, but being thought to be a bit of a scold would be super, compared to what has been going on in the White House, interrupted only by two far-from-stellar Democrats, since the ghastly Nixon.