Barack Obama will be inaugurated this morning, and the difficult job facing him will test him from minute one. But I think he represents a real hope that the rationale for decision making in the White House will be logic and sound reasoning. That can and will disappoint some, who will want a more reflexively ideological bent to decision making. It has already disappointed some Republicans, like Rush Limbaugh, who are railing against the “traitors” in the Republican ranks who are actually exchanging ideas with the President. It is a dose of behavior that the country has been seeking for longer than I can remember. The partisan warriors do not like it, but the American people love it.

Obama’s handling of the transition, even with the couple of bumps, has been essentially flawless and has allowed him to build a strong gust of wind at his back. In order to do some of the things that are necessary Barack Obama will need that wind. For today he embodies the hopes we all have for a better future for our country, and I am genuinely excited about his inaugural and his speech. I may be naive, but I still feel that what unites us as Americans is far stronger than what divides us. And Barack Obama can be a President that reminds us of that day after day. Today we can celebrate our democracy as Americans, and leave party affiliation at the door. We can always pick that up later. Good luck President Obama!