Barack Hussein Obama is the 44th president of the United States of America. To a long line of European names we have elected a person with a name out of Africa. This simple fact speaks to us and to the world.

As a person who shares his progressive orientation, his political party and his optimism I thank my fellow Americans for making this happen. To those who don’t agree with his politics or his call to shared sacrifice I cannot help but think you are impressed with his intelligence and grace.

The nation and world are challenged as we have not seen in more than a half century. An economy in recession because we thought wealth was our birthright and not something worked for. A financial system in ruins because we trusted greedy men to do the right thing when no one was looking. The Earth in peril because we pretended it was infinite when a picture from space clearly shows how limited it really is. Our relations with the world strained by our reliance on the technology of war rather than the art of diplomacy.

Yes, our new president has his work cut out for him. So if you see me and millions of others of your fellow citizens a little emotional as we watch and listen to the new president please forgive us.

We invite you, we implore you, to take a moment to reflect in what this country stands for. That the justice and equality we seek and promotion of the general welfare we long for are not the talking points of a politician but the bedrock on which this nation is built.

The United States of America has turned a corner and Barack Hussein Obama is our president.

Evan Willig lives in Cobb.

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