Obama in, Bush be gone

By: Patrick Fancher

Posted: 1/6/09

As winter term begins, most of us return to OSU campus stuffed from the feasts and festivities that we call the holidays, ready to resume business as usual, or maybe that's just me. It will be interesting to see if competency can replace comedy as we welcome a new president.

Like me, some of you might be eagerly anticipating the departure of President Bush from the White House and the arrival of President-elect Barack Obama.

A majority of voters, young and old, proved that we are ready for change in Washington, and Obama is preparing to lead us in a new direction.

On the other hand, I realized today while watching a re-run of the Daily Show that, much like Jon Stewart, I too will miss the readily available comedic moments Bush provided by simply opening his mouth and speaking.

For eight years, people all over the world have rolled their eyes or giggled any time Bush has said something ridiculous, often wondering, "Is he serious?"

My personal favorite Bush quotes were:

"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says fool me once, shame on … shame on you. Fool me, you can't get fooled again."

"Tribal sovereignty means that … I mean you're a … you've been given sovereignty, and you're viewed as a sovereign entity. And therefore, the relationship between the federal government and tribes is one between sovereign entities."

I've seen the video of that Bush quote numerous times on YouTube and the most hilarious part, to me, is the laughter that can be heard in the background when he begins to answer the question.

With Obama soon to be our president, it's reassuring to know that he will probably never say anything that will come across as idiotic, because he is such an articulate and intelligent public speaker who chooses his words wisely.

The Bush administration was like a long-running, but occasionally funny, sitcom that is being replaced by a critically-acclaimed, more serious new series in 2009.

Of course, there's nothing humorous about the issues the Obama administration must face immediately upon arrival to the White House.

As I've touched on in other columns, Obama is putting together an experienced team that can handle hot-button issues like our failing economy and the planned withdrawal of our troops from Iraq.

Americans have overwhelmingly approved the addition of Senator Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State, according to polls conducted at CNN.com. Obama is forming an impressive ensemble cast with Clinton, Tom Daschle and Rahm Emanuel that should make us forget all about the silly, yet catastrophic moments provided by the Bush administration.

As excited as I am about Obama officially becoming our president in 2009, I'm equally enthused about other debuts that lack the same seriousness of observing politics.

As entertaining as politics can be, it is other forms of entertainment that can help us get through tough times.

I have always been an avid TV and movie fan, but I won't watch just anything. There's no reality TV shows making appearances in my life.

I try to make a conscious effort to not watch too much TV, but 9 times out of 10, if I like the first few episodes of a particular show, I get sucked in until the series ends, becomes terrible or is cancelled.

The day after Obama will be sworn in as our 44th President of the United States (Wednesday, Jan. 21, 2009) the fifth season of Lost will debut and regardless of how much homework I may have at the time, I will be watching. I'm equally excited about the second season of HBO's Flight of the Conchords beginning Sunday, Jan. 18.

I also try to avoid going to watch movies in the theater because it has become an expensive venture; however, I will make a few exceptions in 2009 as I'm looking forward to seeing the new Star Trek movie, Terminator: Salvation, the Watchmen and the movie adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road."

Whether you prefer entertainment in the form of a competent president making important decisions on your behalf or watching new TV shows and movies, just know that 2009 will bring some sort of entertaining change for everyone.

Patrick Fancher is a junior in liberal studies with an option in new media communications. The opinions expressed in his columns do not necessarily represent the opinion of the Daily Barometer staff. Fancher can be reached at forum@dailybarometer.com