Inauguration Day!

As I write this, it is quarter to noon. Barack Obama's term as President of the United States will begin in 45 minutes. This moment is something that we, that I have waited for for 8 years. This is a day that many thought would never come, the day we elect a black man to lead us. This is a country which at it's founding only counted a black man as 3/5's of a person. And now we have elected a black man to the highest office in the land. If you are not inspired about the potential that this country has, then I don't know what will get your blood going. We, however, must temper our expectations of this man. Obama has been hailed as a savior of some sort, but we cannot allow hype to overshadow reality. Obama takes this office with a country in its worst shape since the 1930's and there will be much hard work to get done. There will also be much resistance to his work. Overall, we cannot allow hope to get out of control. The economy will still suck at 12:01pm. Iraq will still be a huge drain on our resources and on the people of our armed forces. The Middle East will still be ready to explode. But the culture that will accompany the Obama White House will be far different and far more conducive to diplomacy and peace. Zack and I were talking earlier and he made the comment that he was watching CSPAN this weekend and he saw Bill Clinton's inauguration from 1992 and if there were 5,000 people there it was an estimate on the high side. I damn sure know there was not this many people present in 2000 or 2004. They are estimating that 2 million people will show up for the Inauguration. 2 million. That's like emptying Cuyahoga county and sending them to Washington. Take into account the amount of people who will be watching this around the world. The thought is just awe-inspiring.