Barack's Big Day

Just about ten weeks from now, Barack Obama will take the oath of office as the forty-fourth (that's the 44th) President of the United States. Five minutes later, here's a short list of the problems he'll be expected to fix: global financial crisis, exploding federal deficit, crumbling U.S. infrastructure, two wars, dependence on foreign oil, global warming, healthcare system in crisis. Beyond that, people are going to look to him to heal the racial divide, to redefine politics as we know it, to restore confidence in America, to end conflict between Israelis and Palestinians, and to bring everyone together. Everyone.

Forget about the fact that, right now, we can't seem to solve a single one of these problems. Or that Barack's honeymoon with the media will, in all likelihood, end even before the inauguration. How about the likelihood that he will start making enemies the moment he begins trying to solve a single one of these issues? Just by way of example, let's say he endorses nuclear power, in order to reduce reliance on foreign oil, as well as our collective carbon footprint. That seems to me to be one of the easier issues facing him, but do you think the anti-nuclear faction, the dedicated tree-huggers, are going to give him a free pass? Not likely.

After I first proposed Barack in the Dome, I thought it was a trivial suggestion. After all, the rest of mankind was looking for him to fix the entire world, while all I wanted was for him to go get a 44 jersey with his name on it. But after considering the enormity of the tasks facing Barack on day one of his presidency, I'm thinking that a day in the Dome isn't such a bad idea, either for Barack, or for the nation. I mean, what harm can come from it? Let's say he shows up on February 14 as I've suggested. He can sit in section 108 with me; I've got an extra ticket. Or if the Secret Service guys aren't comfortable with that idea (maybe someone will spill beer on him in their excitement), I'm sure the University will find a box for him and his entourage. Halftime, he gets to go on the court, get a kiss from Julie Boeheim and Chancellor Cantor, and then Dr. Gross will give him the shirt. Even the G-Town players will dig that. The dome will swell up with all the love. And then, Barack gets to take a couple hours off and watch a Big East basketball game. How could that be bad?

Next day he's back in DC, once again trying to solve all the world's problems, but for one afternoon in February, he's just a fan. He's just chilling in the Dome with 33,000 other Big East fanatics; eating a meatball sandwich from the Italian Stand, and enjoying a Middle Ages Syracuse Pale Ale. So even though it may sound frivolous; it's really therapeutic. It will give Barack a day off, some badly needed R&R; and it will also help him on this bringing everyone together thing. I mean, if Georgetown fans and Cuse fans can both get behind this idea, well then maybe everything is possible after all.