Yellow Bird: The nation enters the Obama years
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Filed Under:
Opinion
"We are entering the Obama years. That was clear as I listened to the new president take the oath and speak to onlookers, more than a million of whom filled every corner of the Washington Mall.
As Barack Obama’s words echoed and boomed throughout the District, I knew we were entering a time of change. The feelings of joy and elation seemed to pour from the crowd like a perfume of promise. Those emotions came through the TV screen, too; they captured me, and at times, I could feel tears well up.
That said, many of the TV talking heads followed a theme, which is that Obama is the first black president. That’s true, but Obama is much more than that. He is a political figure who has shown he’s intelligent, caring and committed to making this nation better. He also showed he can manage a national campaign so well that he overshadowed a serious candidate to be the first woman president and a war hero with many years of experience.
So, Obama is not president just because he’s black. He’s president because he’s presidential material, as evidenced by our landslide vote that put him in office.
When former President John Kennedy was inaugurated, I don’t believe there were constant commentaries repeatedly noting that he was the first Catholic president."
Get the Story:
COLUMNIST DORREEN YELLOW BIRD: A new chapter in U.S. history begins
(The Grand Forks Herald 1/21)
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