Oh-Bah-Mah!

I didn't vote for him, but: 1. I was really glad he beat out his Dem opponent, and 2. I wasn't all that crazy about his Rep opponent either. I had a pretty good feeling early on that he was going to win the election. And he did. About the time that it cost $85 to fill up my SUV, and my retirement fund and the Dow were crashing hard. (We made it into Villa Pellegrini just before the economy really crashed and not one day goes by that we do not express joy and gratitude for the wonderful privilege of being here).

I watched the inauguration on a CNN Web feed on my monitor at work, and it gave me a really good feeling. It was nice to see so many people united over something positive. He said some powerful things in his speech, and for that amount of time I stopped worrying about how he is going to jack up my taxes or make the industry I work in less profitable. One of my favorite parts: "We will not apologize for our way of life nor will we waver in its defense. And for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that, 'Our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken. You cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.'" Yeah, I just need to know we have a leader who is not afraid to kick some butt when necessary.

The best part about today, and a new president, and the start of a new era is the pride of being American and knowing what that means, beyond what words can describe. One of my most prized possessions is my U.S. passport. I don't travel outside the US often, but when I do, my passport is my magic ticket to freedom and democracy, to basic civil rights wherever I go. I know the feeling of a stolen US passport, and the bliss of entering a US embassy knowing that all is well inside those walls.

Godspeed, President Obama!