"Hinge of history" is an overused phrase for an important period of change. Still, history may judge 2006-08 as a hinge era in both the nation and Hawai'i. At least, let's hope so.

Nationally, the disastrous war in Iraq, ineptitude in dealing with Hurricane Katrina, and mounting incidents of arrogance and incompetence led to a loss of confidence in the Bush administration. The 2006 election returns were one result.

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne back in December wrote that what we have is "a time when old ideas are cast aside, new leaders emerge and old leaders decide to speak in new ways. The changes in politics and culture are visible in many and sudden reversals of the conventional wisdom."

Among those emerging would-be leaders is U.S. senator and presidential candidate Barack Obama. Whether he can win the Democratic nomination and the grand prize in 2008 is most uncertain.

But, in addition to his being black, the point now is that at age 46 he is a sign of two developments. One is these seriously changing hinge times. The other is a looming generational shift.

I don't write off the baby boomers who still have much to offer. We will probably get another one for president in 2008. But the boomers are also starting to follow my Korean War-era "Silent Generation" out the door and into retirement.

Obama represents the once-maligned Generation X and maybe needed new ways of thinking beyond the rigid liberal vs. conservative box of the 1960s and beyond.

We'll see how it plays out this year and next on such issues as Iraq, the war on terror, education, the deficit, immigration, trade, development and other economic matters. And with that goes the need for Democratic-Republican cooperation within Congress and with the Congress and the rigid Bush administration. All this amid the escalating politics of the 2008 election.

As the allegedly but not surely ancient Chinese curse suggests, our nation is living in interesting times. (Which may or may not be related to the Chinese proverb "It's better to be a dog in a peaceful time than be a man in a chaotic period.")

At any rate, besides national change we also have Hawai'i's situation, which is more subtle but also evolving as a freshly re-elected Republican Gov. Linda Lingle again faces a Democratic Legislature.

I agree with various views that, based on her recent speeches, Lingle has shown herself to be more flexible in dealing with the Legislature while presenting some interesting old-new ideas about changing Hawai'i.

As she put it in her inaugural address, "We don't have to change who we are in order to prosper in coming years, but we do have to change."

One of her ideas long dear to my heart is that Hawai'i needs more international outreach in the rising Asia-Pacific region. That is especially so in this era of growing globalism, which is itself inevitable yet also a mix of good and troublesome trends. In this, as she noted, both the University of Hawai'i and East-West Center can be major assets.

But the idea that struck me hardest is that we need to reposition our economy "from one that creates wealth through the buying and selling of land to one that creates wealth though innovation and new ideas."

Lingle has followed up with a batch of exciting proposals to move in that direction. While some may not be new and variations on old Democratic ideas, many could be desirable and doable with bipartisan efforts.

This is music to the ears of some of us who have argued for years that Hawai'i needs a peaceful new revolution, a modern equivalent to the one in the 1950s. That old one brought reform-minded Democrats to power for over 40 years.

But this time — as in Washington — the key must be Republican-Democratic cooperation at the state Capitol, plus evolving public opinion and progressive leadership.

Have no illusions, this won't be easy. Many people in Hawai'i, including some big interests, are tied to the status quo of endless land dealing and development. Those hinges of change can be swung in weird directions.

And yet the public has shown, in Hawai'i and maybe nationally, that it likes divided government. And now it wants accomplishments, not excuses and partisan bickering.

Washington is focused on the 2008 presidential election campaign. In Hawai'i, divided government is more settled until 2010 when Lingle can't run again. So let our peaceful cooperative revolution begin.

John Griffin, a frequent contributor, is a former Advertiser editorial page editor.