Was it really only four years ago?

Photo of us at the 2009 Presidential Inauguration by Mich.

Four years ago I scored us tickets to go to Washington D.C. and see Barack Obama inaugurated as our President. It was freezing, and the day was long, and all sorts of logistically impossible to get anywhere once the ceremony was over, but I am so glad we went. This time around I stayed in Illinois and watched him take the oath of office for a second term. 

While it's hard to feel as excited or as hopeful as I did four years ago, I sincerely hope that the next four years see a fearlessness in the leader of the free world as he tries to make lasting changes to create a legacy we can all be proud of. Oratorically Obama has sounded less willing to be beaten about by politically sound career moves and instead take a stand for the things he believes in. I know more than a few Liberals--and Conservatives--who think this will reveal his true "radicalism," but they're wrong. Obama is not and never has been a radical. Bt I do believe he's a man who believes in doing right, and that he probably feels a little freer to do so now that he'll never have to face a public vote to get or retain a job. 

The changes he seems committed to making aren't radical; they're right, and just, and long delayed. It's about time.