History has been made; here's to the future

For all the untold miles traveled, hours spent and lives touched en route to this moment, 35 words stood between Barack Obama and history.
After a few seconds of wrangling with Chief Justice John Roberts over whose turn it was to speak and what should be said, the moment so many never imagined possible became reality.
“So help me God.”
And so it was, that Barack Obama became the 44th president of these United States, the first black man to lead this nation.
With the stakes of the nation as high as its expectations, the new president delivered an inaugural address that cautioned us not only of the obstacles ahead of us, but also recalled the hope and enthusiasm that prompted so many Americans to buy into his pitch for change.
The speech made it clear that the newest resident of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. understands that our trials and obligations are no less great because the reins of the nation have changed hands. There’s no inheritance from America’s rich uncle awaiting us now that George W. Bush is out of office.
But for each reminder of America’s struggles, there was a beacon of hope.
In my mind, it was groundbreaking for the leader of the free world to denounce the idea that our civil liberties should be the first sacrifice made when securing our homeland. For all the talk of smaller government by conservatives over the years, there never was a healthy dose of bigger liberties — unless you worked on Wall Street or bid on reconstruction contracts in Iraq.
Time has indeed come for us to rethink how our government works and how we should be active players in that process.
No one sentence or phrase in Obama’s address stressed this point as much as the idea that we must hand down our achievements for the next generation of America to build upon, a tradition that has continued since this nation’s inception.
Someone much smarter than me once said, “When history has been made, all that’s left is the future... and if you live in the present, you’ll be left with nothing.”
Insomuch as the historic unveiling of the Obama presidency is for all that has come before us, the weeks, months and years to come are for us now. The new president made it clear that there is precious time to savor his victory, and that responsibility to the ages is one that need be shared.
And with any luck, each day of the presidency of Barack Obama will provide chances anew to realize the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. While black Americans should take pride in this moment and the achievements of this administration, the greatest good awaiting people of all races and ethnicities lies not in Obama’s skin color, but in the content of his character.
We are at a point in our course of human events where great action is necessary from our government. If Obama can deliver on that promise beyond his promises laid out in speeches, he will be remembered for those deeds better than the fact he is America’s first black president. That historic achievement in overcoming our nation’s racial problems will be no less important for what it is, but America will be much better off for the many other things that are possible with a change in the White House.
History has been made; here’s to the future.