If anything, Obama is setting an example that everybody really needs to see.

The U.S. has an undiscussed epidemic of bad parenting: That is, parents who don't teach children what it means to be good sports. These children grow up to be vindictive, vengeful, hateful ideologues, who are attracted to divisive rhetoric and people like Rush Limbaugh.

Obama fought a clean, good, strong fight in both the primaries and the general election. He defeated Hillary Clinton narrowly but legitimately, and then he sat down with her, they settled their differences, and they made up -- undoubtedly becoming closer friends and allies than they were before.

Obama did the same thing with John McCain: He fought a good clean fight, even when McCain failed to return the favor. Some worried that this would make Obama appear weak, but ultimately it made McCain look foolish. Even so, Obama remained gracious to him, and a week after Obama's win, the two men met for lunch and vowed to work together.

Interestingly enough, we are today seeing both situations bear good fruit: Now McCain is helping Obama to get Clinton confirmed as Secretary of State.

We've also seen it with Obama's treatment of other right-wing people. Obama agreed to go on Fox News in spite of the abusive, insulting nature of their programming. Obama reportedly has taken many conservative editorialists and pundits to lunch to engage them in discussion (I heard that Limbaugh was among them).

All of this shows the value of good sportsmanship. This is an example everybody in the country, and the world, needs more than ever. It's about realizing that your adversary is not necessarily your enemy. It's about realizing that the person you're playing a game against is still somebody you should honor for engaging you in a challenging game.

After all, who is your bigger enemy, the person who will sit across the table from you to match wits, or the person who refuses to sit down with you to begin with?

Already the Obama administration is showing what intelligent and accountable leadership looks like.

Still exists. The man seems exceptional in so many ways ... I hope he is. Unless events conspire against him, he can bring our country back, and it's good to see that most of the country is willing to give him time. It's possible that reporting on it will seem like cheerleading but so be it, if his Administration is succeeding, let it be told. Nothing will ever convince the 30-percenters, and let them wallow.

And why is he going to wait for Congress to pass a bill lifting Bush's stem cell limits (like that'll ever happen!) instead of issuing his own EO overturning it?

Seems to me it would have taken him a few seconds to sign orders that he already said he was going to do.

What's the hold up?

You left out the word "Christian" before backward.

Gaaaak! (How do you write the sound of projectile vomiting?)

Joan Walsh needs to talk to Frank Rich, Keith Olbermann, Leonard Pitts, Glenn Greenwald and about a thousand other left-wing pundits, all screaming about the past, wanting criminal prosecutions and waves of criminal investigations all a result of their festering old political wounds, their side having lost twice to President Bush.

I think its healthy, really. If the left continues to tilt at the windmills of a Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld prosecution, it might keep them out of trouble -- less harm to America's future that way, and all...

I loved this piece. Thank you. I'm sure we'll all have our criticisms of Obama in future, but he is off to a wonderful start and I perfectly willing to give him his due. I wish him godspeed, because the economic outlook is worsening daily and the Presidential honeymoon period will surely vanish like the morning dew once we all are reminded that most miracles are accomplished only through hard work, sweat and tears over long periods of time. However, I'm fully prepared to join hands with my fellow Americans and do the hard work. If only we could convince the Rush Limbaughs of the world that we are stronger working together as Americans than we ever were under a racialist caste system.... (shrugs)

So Elephantman, why shouldn't people who broke the law be prosecuted? When they weren't prosecuted after Irangate, some of these same people came back 20 years later to do even more harm.

Oh, and Xrandu, Limbaugh wasn't included in the dinner for conservative journalists, only print journalists, not howling radio hosts.

Joan,

Thanks for the excellent summary of a terrific first day! Imagine - an administration that believes in the rule of law, transparency, input from the American people, and tightened ethics!! It's a brand new day, indeed!

Folks,

I beg of you, each and every one of you, can we please stop arguing this silly notion that prosecuting felonies and war crimes is incompatible with "focusing on the future"? Part of an excellent future is showing OURSELVES, and the world, that we believe in our laws and our Constitution. And that, my friends, requires prosecuting terrible crimes. That either people on The Left, The Center or The Right can dispute that is beyond me.

giving a coherent speech would have been doing more then Bush did in eight years.

"from marginalized African-Americans to his formal rival and her husband, who'd been branded racists in the primary campaign,"

Really Joan? You were doing so well up until this point. Your never going to accept htat Hillary lost, are you?

I do hope Obama will indeed be a great president. We do need it desperately.

I felt so relived seeing Bush get into that helicopter. Go away, please and never come back!

First, I stand corrected. I read something that indicated Limbaugh attended a private function at the same time and in the same city where Obama held his dinner for editorialists. Maybe Limbaugh wanted to be coy and make it sound like he was invited.

As for the Olbermanns and Greenwalds of the world, I am glad they are arguing for Obama to do more and go farther. It is pretty obvious to me that Bush, Cheney and friends committed war crimes, and the people who were involved in torture, from Abu Ghraib to Guantanamo, were not mere "bad apples" but people acting on orders and signals that came from the top. You can't prosecute the individuals effectively without acknowledging this, but then, Bush and Cheney are not likely to be taken to court because of the increased dischord it will generate in a country that needs to move forward. I do think it's a good debate as to whether they should be tried, and I hope it continues. Personally I'd like to see them all end up wearing white stripes behind bars. I just wonder about the downside.

Regarding Obama issuing executive orders pertaining to stem-cell research and other issues, I think it will be smarter for Obama to roll out many such changes in stages, such that he can pointedly explain the rationale and organize spokespeople, legislative teams, political allies and so forth to make the changes effective. I am reminded of the example of the Clintons, who immediately tried to make sweeping changes and got shot down because they weren't prepared for the backlash.