Will He or Won't He??

It seems to be the big question of the past few weeks, doesn't it? Will our new President fundamentally change the drift of our current domestic and foreign policies? Or will he make only minor course corrections that keep the ship of state on track to a greater doom?

Well, it is certainly hard to tell when one can only engage in Kremlinology of personnel appointments, read the tea leaves left behind by "unnamed sources close to the transition," listen to the unceasing drone of worthless pundits or parse the few words and speeches given since the election.

One thing is clear, all of us are intent to project upon the new President our own desires for our shared future. I'll admit that I too am happily projecting my hopes that starting January 21st, our new leadership will back away from the expanded executive powers they will inherit, renounce the numerous legal and ethical malpractices issued by the Office of Legal Counsel, and re-establish some national moral authority in the arena of rule of law, economic fairness and human rights.

And like many others, I too hope that I will not be disappointed. Especially after soldiering on these past several years in the labor of a government whose policies are increasingly unsupportable and whose obvious hypocrisy is (or should be) a massive embarrassment.

So, will he or won't he??

Will he renounce the use of "enhanced interrogations"? Or won't he??

Will he uphold his campaign commitments to draw down the Iraqi conflict and close Guantanamo? Or won't he??

Will he direct his new Justice Department to investigate the past Administration's abuses of power? Or won't he??

Will he once again use the government to regulate the unrestrained forces of Wall Street? Or won't he??

Will it be a "new birth of freedom"? Or a continuation of our ruin??

Time will tell. And that time is nigh. It starts in one week. And President Barack Obama has his work cut out for him.

(Photo of Lincoln's Second Innaugeration, March 1865. From the National Archives)