2008: My Last Word
It is too bad that Newsweek gave its Last Word of 2008 to George Will. Ever the conservative apologist, Will spends much of his column being critical of Democrats, pro-environmental initiatives, and gay rights. He seems stuck in the past, as he cannot get his head around that peanut allergies can be fatal. He thinks 2008 should be the year of David Petraeus. He blames the obesity trend in New York on Mayor Bloomberg’s crackdown on smoking. He even uses the word jihad for Mayor Mike.
Will mentions Blagojevich, Spitzer and others who got it wrong in 2008, but he fails to mention one rather prominent name: Barack Obama.
Indeed, 2008 was a difficult year. Some I know are happy to see it pass into history. The economy tanked and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue to slog on. Friends of mine have been laid off. I voluntarily left my job in June only to see a shrinking job market repel my advances for new employment.
Well, George, even if all of what you write in your column is true, and even if 2008 brought us some tough and sobering news, I for one am not going label it as you did. It was not a YUCK year. You’re just a silly conservative curmudgeon.
2008 ushered in the Age of Obama, and for that, we should all be grateful. Obama ran on a message of hope. In the midst of a failing economy and a worsening American reputation abroad, he is putting together an administration of top notch pragmatic thinkers. In a year when conservative doctrine and a lack of transparency finally and fully bit the United States in the buttocks, here comes a man courageous enough to lead us out of the darkness.
2008 not only makes us hopeful for a better future, but it makes us humble. We cannot have it all. We must live life on life’s terms. We must do what we can to get by and let the rest go. We must be happy with who we are. We must work a little harder and be a little more honest with ourselves and with our loved ones.
2008 also allowed us a chance for personal discovery. In the midst of a long and heated campaign, we were forced to have a discussion about gender and race, about conservatism and liberalism. Some welcomed it, like President-Elect Obama, who gave one of the epic speeches about race in this country’s history back in Philadelphia in March. 2008, I think, has made people realize just how ugly it can be and how they should cherish the good things that they can keep. As we shake our heads at the idiots, we realize something about ourselves. Greedy, powerful, and lustful are no way to go through life. Did Dean Wormer say that?
So let’s raise a glass to 2008, for kicking us around, making us humble, but also for giving us hope. 2008 will give us the strength to do better in 2009.
