Great Crises Call for Bold Leadership

Dear President-elect Obama,

Although it has been said that every great president needs a crisis during which to exhibit his greatness, it is also true, but less said, that the greatness is displayed in the bold strokes that man is willing to embrace in such times: Lincoln and emancipation, Franklin Roosevelt and sweeping social programs. The crises are here. Do not fail your destiny. Treat health care as a moral issue, not a political one. Consider those in poverty and those in fear of poverty as a test of our national character. Save God's planet while there is still time. This is your moment.

Elizabeth Edwards is the author of Saving Graces: Finding Solace and Strength from Friends and Strangers and is a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress. Read her cover feature in the August 2008 issue of Sojourners.