Tuesday, January 20, 2009
A glorious day
I don't think it's hyperbole to say this is a glorious day for America. I'm trying to think of a similar event that matches today's swearing in of Barack Obama as president. I'm not talking about great historic events per se. The moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the start of the Persian Gulf War and 9/11 -- they're all etched in my mind forever. I'm talking about something more sublime -- a single man breaking a barrier by performing a simple act. The mind drifts back to that magical day when Nelson Mandela emerged from captivity in South Africa, gently waving at the cameras as the world got its first glimpse of an almost mythic figure. The mind also drifts back to that day a young man stopped a tank simply be raising his hand outside Tiananmen Square. I'm pretty sure Barack Obama's taking of the oath today -- the image of him putting his hand on the Bible, raising his right arm and swearing allegiance to the Constitution -- will be one of those seemingly simple acts that will remain in our individual and collective memories forever. America has come a long way.
I don't think it's hyperbole to say this is a glorious day for America. I'm trying to think of a similar event that matches today's swearing in of Barack Obama as president. I'm not talking about great historic events per se. The moon landing, the fall of the Berlin Wall, the start of the Persian Gulf War and 9/11 -- they're all etched in my mind forever. I'm talking about something more sublime -- a single man breaking a barrier by performing a simple act. The mind drifts back to that magical day when Nelson Mandela emerged from captivity in South Africa, gently waving at the cameras as the world got its first glimpse of an almost mythic figure. The mind also drifts back to that day a young man stopped a tank simply be raising his hand outside Tiananmen Square. I'm pretty sure Barack Obama's taking of the oath today -- the image of him putting his hand on the Bible, raising his right arm and swearing allegiance to the Constitution -- will be one of those seemingly simple acts that will remain in our individual and collective memories forever. America has come a long way.
