The Inauguration of the 44th President of the United States

I, like many of my fellow Americans (and perhaps, my fellow human beings around the globe), am glued to the news and video streams involving Barack Obama’s inauguration today, on this cold and blistery Tuesday, January 20th, 2009.

I just read a commentary by Donna Brazile, for CNN, entitled “A day to rejoice — and recommit” (located here).

I think she does a marvelous job discussing why this election — and the inauguration of Barack Obama — is so important for so many of us.

For me, she misses an important point, though. For me, Barack Obama is an extremely competent, intelligent and inclusive individual: Precisely the type of individual that is so needed to lead this great country of ours. For me, the color of his skin is absolutely irrelevant. For me, it’s the “content of their character,” that has been so lacking in the White House for so long.

Our country has suffered greatly because of this.

For me, this is an important day, because we have the right individual to lead our nation.

The tears in my eyes aren’t because we have an African-American in the White House, but because we have an extremely competent, intelligent and inclusive leader in the White House.

The tears in my eyes aren’t because we’ve made a huge step forward in civil rights (although I agree, that’s a wonderful icing on an otherwise delicious cake), but because we as Americans see that “competence and character,” not popularity or “moral values,” is the yardstick with which to measure our leaders.