President Obama was inaugurated today. He took the oath of office proudly with his full name. For one day, nearly 80 percent of Americans signaled their approval. People of all races and creeds stood united or watched from their homes and work places. The phrase, “Yes we can,” was never spoken by Obama in his speech, but those words hung in the air. The speech did capture and address a palpable sense of hope and giant challenges ahead. Now “we can” must translate into responsibility as individuals and as a nation together.
I think all of us heard in Obama’s speech the words of John F. Kennedy when Obama invoked our responsibility. “Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do…” We also heard echoes of Martin Luther King, Jr. with the impression that King’s words were being fulfilled in front of us. It was a good day to be reminded of what these great men worked and stood for. I think both would have been pleased, and they would have been aware of the coming difficulties.
Tomorrow it will be business as usual. The new president will be up against the wall. He won’t be able to please everyone; he’ll be lucky to please half. Already the critiques and demands have started. And that’s how our system works.
With all this in mind, it was comforting to read that during the ceremony Obama’s transition team had already quietly moved into the White House to set the new administration in motion. They have been planning for the past three months to hit the ground running, and now they can use a head start. God bless them. I pray for them to have wisdom, common sense, integrity, and the reality of Love in them — with courage to do right and well in the days to come.
Above is a word cloud from Obama’s speech (source). Word clouds show what words were used and how often (by the size of each word). I think they’re pretty revealing. Also, the photo at the top of the post is a shot of a TV screen (source).
Finally, the Whitehouse has a new website featuring a blog. It’s pretty cool another sign of leadership that wants to communicate with my generation. Godspeed.
(The photo is from a shot of a TV screen from here)
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