Inauguration!!!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/21/us/politics/20web-inaug2.html?hp

I feel differently about President Obama than any of the previous Presidents, probably because I once saw him from less than 10 feet away, after he spoke at my high school graduation. Because I've seen him in a setting other than TV, I have the sense that he is a real person rather than just one more famous name, which makes this inauguration more special for many Hyde Park people, I am sure. It is still difficult to fully grasp, but amazing to know that he is now officially POTUS.

There were an impressive mix of backgrounds and ethnicities represented during the ceremony: conservative White, Black, Jewish, and Asian. It's awesome that Aretha was part of the ceremony: what a rock star. Many people, amongst them my friends, criticized his choice of Reverend Rick Warren for the invocation. While I think he could have chosen a better person, I can see why President Obama would include him. If I learned anything from Bike and Build, it's that in fact, many Americans are still very conservatively minded, and it doesn't help the President to alienate them. Internationally, America may be known as New York and L.A., but in fact, there's all the land between the two Coasts actually comprising the bulk of this nation. Fancy that.

Some of the news reporters were mildly critical of his speech being a bit darker than his previous ones, but I see it as being more realistic about the times ahead. I only hope that people's expectations are realistic about him as well. I myself am cautiously optimistic. I believe that one person's charisma does have the power to inspire hope and confidence in the people of a nation. However, I do think that many more factors are controlling the direction of the economy than one person can handle, and I hope people remember that.

It's also interesting that Abraham Lincoln was from IL, and yesterday was Martin Luther King Jr. Day. It all seems very symbolic of the direction in which this nation is going. I agree with President Obama when he says that the patchwork background of this nation is not a weakness but a strength, and it is time to embrace it.