A historic day

Today is a historic day in the history of our country. For the first time 233-year existence of America, we are about to inaugurate a black man as president. To tell you the truth, I never thought I would live to see this day. It's not that I thought it was impossible. It's that I figured there were still enough racist people in this country who would never vote for a black man to make it impossible.

I don't know how to describe the atmosphere of today, although I think something needs to be said. I can only say that it's electric. Watching coverage on TV, it's amazing. There are millions of people on the Mall in Washington. I can't remember ever seeing anything like it in my life. Many of these people have been there since yesterday. Many have been there since before sunrise. There's a sense of excitement and hope that I can't ever remember feeling.

I feel the same sense of hope and excitement. This is a day that people will be talking about for generations. This is a day that my children will remember. And while I believe that Obama will ultimately get our country back on the right track, I hope that people will give him a chance before they judge. I hope that they will realize that he is only human, that he is unlikely to fix every one of our problems, although I think he will ultimately be a powerful president and make a difference.