Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States of America, has changed history by capturing the White House as the first black president.
While he holds Abraham Lincoln, the 16th US president, as his favorite, during the state nomination primaries and presidential campaign, his oft-evoked idol had also been civil leader Martin Luther King Jr.
In fact, Obama's motherhood slogan and tagline on Change - "Yes, we can" - had the same "I Have a Dream" promising tone as that of MLK Jr. The latter had convinced his black brethren that the black race would one day prevail, despite hardships and racial bigotry, with his favorite line: "We shall overcome!"
And it's only provident that Abraham Lincoln, the great emancipator who dared defy the Southern white aristocracy by liberating their black "chattels" from the bondage of slavery, now happens to be Barack Obama's presidential exemplar. By breaking the unwritten law and taboo against the hitherto unthinkable black American president, Obama has also in effect emancipated his colored minority brethren from the bondage of racial discrimination and bigotry.
It's only proper that despite the economic recession that may overshadow the Great Depression of 1929 in gravity and magnitude, and perhaps in duration, the recession has been "forgotten" and, overtaken by the glamour, the glitz, and the galore of the inaugural festivities of Obama's ascendancy to the White House.
US Chief Justice John Roberts Jr. who bungled his lines in leading the historic presidential oath while swearing in the then president-elect was in a minor lapse. Instead of reading the famous oath, Roberts opted to rely on his memory which, it sadly turned out, failed him. But despite his faux pas, the solemnity of the epic event wasn't a bit cheapened. Neither did it detract the poise of the honoree who took it with equanimity. What incidentally was out of place could be Aretha Franklin's desecration of the usually beautiful tunes of "My Country Tis of Thee".
Obviously without any text or teleprompter while delivering his inaugural speech with his usual eloquence in spontaneous cadence and aplomb, President Barack Obama mesmerized the hushed sea of American cross-section standing proud from the foot of the Lincoln memorial to the edge of Capitol Hill.
To many who braved the cold weather as witnesses to the American electoral tradition and the nation's legacy in its democratic history, Obama's fluent oratory was in itself the very essence of the occasion.
Some lines that have further enriched the Obama treasure chest of literary gems in exquisite prose with the effect of measured poetry, seem like Speech 101 in perfection. Savor in silence some random quotes during the 18-minute flow of the English language in Obama's inaugural…
Feeling the American anxiety over the economic recession on the verge of depression, the twin wars in Iraq and worsening Afghanistan, the global threats of terrorism, the imminent calamity of climate change, Obama aptly said: "They will be met (challenges)". And the nation's fears over the seemingly steep odds, he perks up his listeners: "We have chosen hope over fear".
To some Americans' over-confidence, he cautions: "Greatness is never a gift, it must be earned". Stressing that resolving the problems is now, Obama says: "Let's begin the work of remaking America. This is the moment that defines a generation."
On USA's role in world peace, without strutting as the global policeman, he assures: "We will not give up our ideals. And we are ready to lead once more." Aware of USA's leadership among nations, Pres. Obama also commits: "The world has changed and we change with it. We have duties to our nation and to the world."
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