President Obama, at last.

From The Huffington Post.

If I were to attempt an eloquent essay about this, it would take me till the next inauguration. Words fail. I'll list some thoughts, instead:

I'm glad that the President and the Chief Justice managed to get through the oath, eventually (!).

I'm relieved that Rick Warren wasn't too atrocious, and that I can now go back to being completely unaware of him.

Dick Cheney in a wheelchair. That fits.

President Obama's speech kicked W around a fair bit, and rightly so.

How lovely, and right, and true, to hear America described as a country of Christians AND Muslims AND Jews AND Hindus AND unbelievers. (I wonder why "unbelievers" and not "atheists"?) Obviously some folks were left out of the list, but the point was made, and about time too.

How lovely, and right, and true, to hear a declaration to our people and the world, that the United States is "ready to lead, once again" by our example.

Finally, I'm not a teary person, but it melts my cold cold heart that my 4 year-old daughter, sitting on my lap while President Obama gave his inaugural address, will not remember a time when there had never been an African-American President.

President Obama, of the United States of America.

Awesome.

God keep him safe, please.

Buh-bye now.
Saul Loeb/European Pressphoto Agency, from L.A. Times website

(Now what do you bet there's at least one Supreme Court Justice doing a little happy dance and finally printing out that letter of intent to retire? John Paul Stevens will be 89 this year. 89! Maybe he wants to go fishing, hit the National Parks, tour the wine country, something like that. That is, if Ruth Bader Ginsburg, no spring chicken herself, doesn't beat him to the White House with her own letter in hand. In any case, won't it be a nice change not to dread the nomination process?)