Reflection

Although the sun was out, it was 25 degrees in Washington D.C. on the morning of January 20, 2009. I walked through the streets of D.C. with my fellow Americans and descended upon the Washington Mall to bear witness to one of America's most historical events.
The vibe that day in D.C. was of a feeling I can not describe in words. You sort of had to be there. But it was amazing. It was unity at its best as we all celebrated being Americans and rallying behind our new leader. And it didn't take violence to bring us together. What a day.
Security was tight, people were dancing, and random cheers came from the crowd when certain politicians arrived and found their seat on the stage.
When President Bush arrived the crowd was surprisingly somewhat respectful which I had been hoping for. I don't support President Bush any more than any other liberal, but this day was about Obama and change, not about Bush. And I didn't want to see a big scene made over his arrival and departure. Let's save the attention for our new dynamic leader, President Obama. And we did.
As President Obama took the oath I watched in amazement not believing what I was seeing. I wept because I was so proud to see my country get to this place. It restored my confidence in America's ability to grow and mature. And it made me believe that once again we could lead by example and help the world become a better place. President Obama's inaugural address was a great speech ending with a quote by President Washington reaffirming our strength in these times of crisis.
I will never forget that day for as long as I live. I was with some close friends and was lucky to spend it with them. I saw a major event in my country's history that we all take pride in. Two months in to his Preisdency it's hard to judge the job he is doing but it appears that Obama is on the right track. He is making the right decisions and is truly trying to exercise that he represents all of the American people on a level we have not seen since the Kennedy presidency. That's almost 50 years.
With a Democratic legislature and executive which this country has not had together since LBJ (with an exception of the first 2 years of the Clinton presidency; 2 years is not enough time to establish a preogressive era) Obama has the opportunity to move mountains maybe like FDR did decades ago.
There are things that are a little unsettling to me right now. Geithner may turn out to have been a bad choice. Sending troops to Afghanistan may not turn out to be the best way to continue to fight terrorism. But the one thing that puts my worries to rest here is knowing that we have a president with humility and a learning curve. Like Lincoln, both Roosevelt's, and Kennedy those types have historically ended up becoming great leaders. I believe that Obama will learn from his mistakes and improve his performance as president.
But we must remember, it is only with our prayers, support, and participation that this preisdency will succeed. As President Obama has always said, "Yes We Can!" and not "Yes I Can!"