Jonah Goldberg on "What Obama brings to conservatives"

Jonah's gotten a lot of flak for this today (to which he responds here), but I think he's right. Obama is not a conservative and is unlikely to govern as one, but his inauguration as President was a proud moment for America that carries with it a great deal of promise - even for those of us who are conservative Republicans. As Jonah said:

If Obama lives up to the dreams of his supporters in writing a new, post-racial chapter for America, he will have at once done more for America than any Democratic president in generations. But he also will have cut the knot holding much of the left together. As an American and as a conservative, I certainly hope that’s the case. He’s already made a good start of it just by getting elected.

We certainly shouldn't paper over our differences, nor should we concede the point that President Obama made in his inaugural address "that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply." Arguments over the proper role of the federal government in American life are not stale, nor are they inapplicable to the current economic and political environment. Still, on one issue that has been at the root of the most divisive events in our nation's history - race - it's unquestionable that we've turned a corner. It's hard to see how that can work in favor of the Jesse Jacksons and Al Sharptons of the world.