I've realized that this presidential election is about so much more than putting the right person in office.  Of course Obama, in my humble opinion, is the far better choice for presdient than John McCain.  However, we Americans have to do much more than elect a better president if we ever want to see the kind of changes this country--and this world--need right now.

     There are far too many issues to name that need urgent attention.  At the top of the list are our stagnate economy, climate change, the war in Iraq, the war in Afghanistan, rising oil prices, rising food prices, the rise in poverty caused by rising food prices (which are caused by the rising oil prices) and rising inequality in the U.S. and throughout the world (in part caused by rising food and oil prices).  And again, these are just a few of the myriad of issues our country and this world face together. 

      Although Obama certainly seems to have better ideas and plans on how to deal with these issues than his rival McCain, he certainly isn't going to be able to do enough in his potential eight years in office to make even a dent in most of these problems.  If we strip away all the hoopla surrounding him and bring him down off that pedestal we have put him on, he is simply a man who has inspired millions to action.  What worries me is that most Americans will forget the "action" part.

     I have had the pleasure and the privilege of hearing Obama speak in person, and I can tell you that this is something he recognizes all too well.  He said during his speech that he cannot do this alone.  He needs us, the American people, to help him create the changes we so desperately need.  And this is something he has stressed repeatedly.   

     Even if Obama wins in November, that doesn't mean everything will magically get better and therefore we can go back to being ignorant and unmotivated.  We have to continue to fight for all the changes we want to see.  Whether it be in healthcare, education, the economy, the environment, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, reducing poverty and inequality, gay rights, civil rights, and whatever else has got our panties in a bundle, we can never stop fighting.

     Over 230 years have passed since our Founding Fathers signed their names on the Declaration of Independence, putting their lives on the line for the sake of freedom.  And today we are still fighting for those very freedoms the first generation of Americans sacrificed so much to gain.  The fight will never end and we owe it to those brave men and women to make sure we do all in our power to protect the precious gift they have given us. 

     As citizens of a democracy--a government created for the people, by the people--it is up to us to continue that fight.  We can't depend solely on our leaders, for they are just that--leaders.  They aren't miracle-workers or angels sent from above, magicians or wizards.  They are simply men and women we elect to lead our country into the future.  Unfortunately, Americans haven't done a very good job of that as of late.

     Obama is a chance for us to redeem ourselves.  He is the right choice for president, but he is still a simple man who, like the rest of us, longs to see our country become great again.  Unfortunately the truth is Obama is just the tip of the iceberg in what will be a long battle to repair the significant amount of damage inflicted on our country over the past seven-and-a-half years.  Electing the right leaders is a step in the right direction, but it is really up to us citizens to change what needs to be changed. 

     Gandhi once famously said, "You must be the change you want to see in the world."  Opportunity is knocking, America, it is time for us to answer the door.