As you can tell, we stand upon the precipice of a momentous, critical moment in history. The "Beginning of the End," as I like to call it.
There are a few things we need to bear in mind as we move forward.
1) We need to make an earnest attempt to lay aside petty differences (and rank partisanship).
Sounds like a lame joke (I know), but I am serious about this. The left and right are about as far apart as the east is from the west on certain issues, but that doesn't mean that they cannot work together on things they can agree upon (like monetary reform, infrastructure banking, and corporate tax reform). I hope that poisonous tongues and attitudes will take a back seat in favor of civility and a can-do spirit. To behave in any other manner would be a dereliction of public service and is conducive to nothing but failure.
2) Our nation will need to prioritize its goals based upon our resources: primarily time, energy, and money. Being able to see decades into the future allows us to make better-informed decisions. Foreign policy decisions need to be made wisely, and we need to keep our country's national security and stability in the forefront when considering intervention in foreign affairs. (For example, we have plenty of bases in the Middle East that stand directly in the way of oncoming war and conflict. We ought to think of moving/relocating these bases, or rethink our entire overall strategy for the region.) Waste, fraud, and abuse will have no place here.
3) Our nation needs to retain the most technologically-advanced, best-prepared military in the world. We need to be swift, dynamic, and deadly. Funding for R&D needs to remain paramount amongst our budgetary priorities, and the importance of this advantage cannot be understated.
4) Our intelligence community must remain robust, muscular, and effective, even as the bureaucracy gets shuffled around and roles are redefined. We all know that knowledge is power, so let's retain that edge.
The sooner we realize the complete, overall picture as the whole that it is, the better off we will all be.
You are my responsibility.
It's time to get down to work.