Great speech... great leader

I'm not a political person and not one to argue politics as such, so I'm not about to analyse Obama's inauguration speech. I'm just giving my little 2 cents worth on how it affected me.

I stayed up to watch the inauguration of the first African-American president of the United States of America because I wanted to watch history being made. It was an important day, not just for America, but for anyone who has lost hope in the goodness of the world.

I wasn't disappointed. I thought Obama made a great speech after he was sworn in as President, in front of 2 MILLION PEOPLE IN THE MALL (that's a hell of a lot of people) and millions more watching. It was like watching America having a party. Everyone happy, relieved to see the stupidity and war-mongering days of Bush over.

I like Obama because you can see his humanity and yet, he is still exudes the control that a great leader must have. When he fudged the oath, he kept on going, correcting the mistake as best he could and getting on with it. When he gave his speech, his voice was clear and unfaltering and it was like he spoke from his heart about what he thinks needs to be done. If you speak from the heart, you don't need notes and you don't make mistakes, because you are sure in what you are going to say. He'd probably practiced that speech a hundred times but he made it seem so natural and genuine. And when he danced with Michelle at the last inauguration ball, he looked like any other man dancing with his wife, comfortable in his affection towards her, not stilted or awkward in any way. I loved the way he changed the way he was holding her, switching from the classic dance position to holding her around her waist and then giving her a hug. What a nice moment.

I liked the way he openly admitted that it was going to be a challenge for everyone to remake America, that Government can not do it alone. The way he spoke the truth and didn't bullshit about the issues which need to be dealt with. And I loved the way he chose not to be polite to the Bush administration, mentioning the ineffective health care system and the greed and irresponsibility that have led to a weakened economy. All with Bush sitting behind him, looking very small.

I liked it that he believes the answers to America's problems lie in the people's convictions, faith (in themselves) and hard work, rather than in military might.

I loved the inclusiveness of his words, reaching out to every nation, every religion, every town, every man, woman and child around the world and even to America's many enemies, in one of my favourite lines "that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist."

He has restored my hope that the world can be a better place. That America can be all it wants to be and have a positive effect on the world, instead of just throwing around it's military power and stomping on so many people. Ex is fond of saying that there's always a better way to do something. I'm hoping Obama is the man who will do things differently, that he will let his ideals shine through in his actions. And that he'll be able to fix some of the tragedies that are the mark of one of the worst US presidents the world has ever known. And that if he does make mistakes, he won't pander to his ego and justify a wrong decision with lots of excuses. He'll admit it, try to fix it and move on.

I've just re-read that paragraph and thought, gee I don't want much do I. But if anyone is the right man at the right time to do this, Obama is. The world needs a good leader right now, I hope he's up to the challenge. If I was religious, I'd say that my prayers are with him, but I'm not. So I'll just say that though the enormity of his job is mind boggling, my thoughts are with him and I want to thank him for giving people like me their hope back.