Patience may be useful to the villain, but it's a virtue of the Light Side... "Until the time is right"... But how long is long enough? Especially for a Man of his Word...
DISCLAIMER: Most everyone here knows I love Obi-Wan Kenobi, and not just because Ewan McGregor is a hot, hunky, gorgeous piece of manhood...
although that doesn't hurt... But this blog is about the character of Obi-Wan... the character that I admire above all others... so let's keep our minds out of the gutter while we read this, shall we? If I can do it while writing it, you all ought to be able to while reading it.... Tee hee 
Obi-Wan Kenobi was a man of his word. He promised his dying Master he would train Anakin. I feel for him at this moment, as Galactic Babe pointed out in one of my earlier blogs, once Qui-Gon met Anakin, he was done with Obi-Wan. After twelve years of a father-son relationship, he's suddenly ready to dump him for another apprentice. Yes, he does reach for Obi-Wan's face in a tender manner, but his last words are of Anakin.
Was Obi-Wan ready to be a Knight? Yes. Was he ready to train an Apprentice? No. But Obi-Wan feels obligated, as he tells Yoda, I gave Qui-Gon my word. The council agrees in spite of Yoda's objections. And so it goes.
Did Obi-Wan have to take his promise to literally? Once the Council agreed to allow the training, why not turn him over to a more experienced Master? Qui-Gon's dying wish would still be honored, but perhaps with better results. Obi-Wan's obligation was to see that Anakin was trained, he really didn't have to do it himself.
Perhaps Yoda should have been less stubborn about the whole affair and taken Anakin into his classes with the other younglings, and let him be chosen at age 13 like any other Padawan. Then Obi-Wan could have stepped in if necessary to keep his promise, but with four years of experience under his belt.
It's mentioned in the "Jedi Quest" series that Anakin thought he was special because he already knew who his master would be, while the other kids did not. It's certainly not something a child who already has a big ego needs...
But Obi-Wan keeps his word, and does so to the best of his ability. I have trained you since you were a small boy, I have taught you everything I know, and you've become a far greater Jedi that I could ever hope to be.... Come on, Obi-Wan, you know he's strong with the Force, and a great fighter, but you know he doesn't have your wisdom or your mental disciplines... you're just feeding his ego some more... tsk tsk.... I know, you were just trying to make peace...
Then Obi-Wan takes on the responsibility of watching over baby Luke. He needed a place to hide, and I suppose Tatooine was as good as any, considering he thought Anakin was dead at the time, but it would have been more productive for the future of the Jedi for him to go off to some outer rim colony and take up farming or some other pursuit, get married and make a dozen or so Jedi babies... but that would throw the whole story off, I know...
In "Labyrinth of Evil", it is said that Obi-Wan feels his destiny is to protect Anakin so he'll live long enough to fulfill his destiny. And now he knows that Anakin's destiny is really Luke's destiny.
And he has given Master Yoda his word that he will watch over Luke. And he hides out in the desert and waits. And waits. Owen Lars won't allow him any contact with young Luke, but still he waits even longer.
How did he know he was doing the right thing? All those years of remorse and regrets, with the Force clouded by the Dark Side, how was he so certain that some day clarity would come and he would know?
I have no doubt that a whisper in the Force pulled him out of his hut and into the Jundland wastes that fateful morning. And there his redemption begins.
Obi-Wan's death scene is certainly one of the most poignant death scenes ever filmed (and Sir Alec Guinness plays it perfectly). He looks over at Luke, the boy he is protecting, the Future of the Jedi, and then closes his eyes and gives himself up to the Force.... To protect the future of the Jedi... to fulfill his promise, if not to Master Yoda then to himself.
I wonder if he thought death would relieve his torment over Anakin... but his words to him, If you strike me down I will become more powerful than you can possibly imagine show that he knew he'd still be around.... But perhaps he thought he'd still find peace in being one with the Force. To be totally immersed in the light of the Force, so that it fills your very being with its power... yes, I can see that...
As a side note, I think he should have been given a stronger role in episodes 5 and 6. Even in death, he should have been "more powerful than you can possibly imagine". Perhaps he was working "behind the scenes", so to speak, helping and guiding Luke along his Jedi path so that he would live long enough to fulfill his destiny.
Many have called the end of Return of the Jedi "the redemption of Anakin" but I'm sure Obi-Wan must have felt redeemed from his failures at the same time. The terrible things that Anakin had done could never be undone, but the prophecy was finally fulfilled, balance was restored and the future set back along its rightful path.
Obi-Wan will always be my favorite Jedi, good looking or not. He's the epitome of a Jedi Knight. Always putting others ahead of himself. And always keeping his word.
What more could a girl ask for? Except maybe a nice lightsaber....
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