I still can't believe it - but it is true. The W era, which almost every sane person throughout the world had considered a disaster, is now officially history. Now, the President of the United States of America is a tall skinny black man, the son of a Kenyan, with a very funny name. Yes, the Obama era has begun!
Everything had been such a diaster that many people - including whites who had never considered voting for a black man, and Republicans who had never supported a Democrat before - are looking forward to changes that Obama will bring to the nation and the world.
I must remember that Obama is only one man, with only 4 years' worth of time (though he may, and hopefully will, get another 4 years afterwards). Also, there are some issues that Obama and I disagree with - most notably his decision to have Rick Warren deliver the invocation (and reward Orange County for the past three decades of political destruction in America that Obama himself must undo now). Nevertheless, Obama is the best shot at getting things fixed, and he appears to have chosen very competent individuals for his executive team, certainly more fair-minded than those who had served the W administration.
Undoing the legacy of the W years has only begun. It'll be a long, torturous road ahead back to a sane world. But having Obama in the White House is a good start. I do look forward to him overturning the "Defense of Marriage" Act, a disgraceful relic of the Clinton-Gingrich era, though I do recognize that he has his hands full with the economic stimulus and other urgent items requiring more immediate attention. At least, his governing philosophy, as outlined in the inaugural address, is smart and to the point; government is not to be small or big, but rather, to be able to most effectively serve the people's needs.
