What Happens Next?

Roger Kimball writes:

Over the last couple of months, I’ve had occasion to say why I prefer McCain to Obama, and what it is about Obama that alarms me. I won’t reiterate all that now. Rather, I’d like to say a word about what I hope will happen next. First, I hope that whoever wins wins “cleanly,” without the widespread suspicion (or the reality) of voter fraud. I also hope that partisans on the other side-whatever side that happens to be-lose gracefully. Not that I expect them to give up on their principles: on the contrary, I hope that they cling to those principles tenaciously, but that conspicuous among those principles is a commitment to democratic government, which means, inter alia , a commitment to recognizing the legitimacy of democratically elected politicians. If, to take one possible eventuality, Obama wins, I hope Republicans gird up their loins and figure out how to do better next time. I also hope that they forgo the destructive, anti-democratic tactics perfected by groups like moveon.org.

A week or two ago, I quoted from a piece by Andrew McCarthy wherein he noted that “If he wins, Obama will be my president,” notwithstanding the many things Obama espouses with which Andy disagrees. Andy separated himself, as I would wish to separate myself, from those who would “rather tear down my country than see a president I opposed succeed.” That does not mean I would be happy if-and note the conditional, please-Obama wins. Nor does it mean that I wouldn’t begin on November 5th looking around for someone who might be a compelling opponent in 2012. It only means that there is a lot to be said for what the British call the “loyal opposition”-vigorously opposed on the issues, but stalwartly loyal when it comes to the the prosperity and commonweal of this great country.

Indeed™.