From The Dallas Morning News — Originally published Tuesday, Jan. 20

… Taking the wheel of the ship of the most powerful state on earth in this global tempest [the worldwide economic crisis] is a 47-year-old Chicago lawyer and community organizer who has never wielded executive authority. Fortunately, Obama’s great gifts include a fierce intelligence, an unflappable demeanor, poise, charisma and an admirable ability to work well with others, even those who don’t share his views.

We have seen during the transition promising signs of how Obama will govern. He has assembled an economic team widely hailed as being second to none. …

Obama has riled some of his fellow liberals with his moves toward the center, but we find his emphasis of pragmatism over ideology to be refreshing and confidence-inspiring. This extraordinary crisis moment demands strong, bold policy leadership, but it also requires putting naked partisanship aside for the sake of political consensus-building.

… The new administration will need the help of Congress and the American people. We expect the Republican minority to do what the opposition party is supposed to do — oppose the governing party when it must. But the situation facing the nation is far too serious for partisan game-playing. Similarly, congressional Democrats would be fools to do as their GOP counterparts did for most of the Bush presidency and exploit their legislative dominance to overreach. …