Today, though, I just wanted to mark the inauguration of Barack Obama.
Though I'm British, like many other non-Americans I'm heartened by his apparent intellect and humanity. I watched the inaugural address on TV and then listened to American radio via the Internet for reactions.
I was moved not just by the President, but by the crowds. Something in the spectacle showed me an America in a more positive light than I have seen for a long time, certainly since 9/11.
Personally I was taken with the passages:
Talking about earlier generations
"They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint."
Talking about armed forces
"We honour them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment - a moment that will define a generation - it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all."
and
"This is the source of our confidence - the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny."
I, like many others, hope that the new President is as remarkable a man as he now appears to be, and that others, in America and around the world suspend cynicism and take the opportunity to reach together for a brighter future.
"Let the word go forth from this time and place, to friend and foe alike, that the torch has been passed to a new generation ..." John F. Kennedy
