For many, the U.S. presidential inauguration Tuesday will remain unforgettable, not just because Barack Obama was the first African-American leader. Rather, as a U.S. citizen put it, it was not so much a change in administrations as ``a change in history.''
Still, the fact that Obama's first address as the 44th U.S. president dwelled far more on the ``crisis and hardship'' and how to tide over them than the significance of overcoming racialism was a somber reminder of the situations facing America ― and the rest of the world ― today.
It is noteworthy in this regard Obama included in his pre-inaugural schedule the painting of walls of a community school, emphasizing ``service mind'' and ``sense of responsibility'' seemingly quite casually. One cannot tell for sure whether or not that was a carefully choreographed media event, but there was little doubt what message the new U.S. leader wanted to convey through this act.
Conceding some risks of over-simplification, that tells much about the current economic crisis that started in America and has spread to the whole planet. We hope the new, young leader's appearance serve as an occasion to replace words like ``greed,'' ``excess'' and ``speculative gains'' with ``generosity,'' ``moderation'' and ``honest labor.'' If America sets an example, its friends will surely follow.
Also, not just more than two million Americans on hand but millions more global villagers who watched the event on TV must have felt relieved that Obama will resort to cooperation and communication in tackling a myriad of diplomatic and security-related issues, after growing sick and tired of a decade of the U.S. pursuit of global hegemony based on military superiority and self-righteous ideology.
Yes, it is this self-renewal of America based on its traditional democratic values and moral superiority that endows Washington with the authority to lead the world, not the self-imposed role as a global policeman. It was good to also hear words such as ``coexistence,'' ``multilateralism,'' and ``equitability'' instead of the ``us-and-them'' or ``good-or-evil,'' which have been ringing in our ears over the past eight years.
In a way, Obama starts his tenure on better footing than most other U.S. presidents, thanks to his immediate predecessor, who was responsible for throwing America and much of the world into the unprecedented mess they are in today. As everybody knows, however, the burden on his shoulders is too heavy to take any comfort from the relative advantage.
Also, Obama is better positioned to tackle formidable tasks ahead of him armed with the higher approval rating than most of his predecessors, and Democratic control of both houses. But the honeymoon, or ``o-phoria" could prove short-lived if he spends too much time on turning most of his promises into reality. The New York Stock Exchange's disappointingly steep fall a few hours into the inaugural ceremony demonstrated the severity of the reality.
Again, however, it would be too simple ― and unrewarding ― for America and other countries to expect Obama to have some magic wand. Yet, there are many reasons they can remain optimistic at least for a year or so to come, not the least of which is the new U.S. president is a progressive ― not a regressive one like his predecessor ― leader, as it will require a progressive mindset to get over the global economic, political and environmental problems.
Moreover, as the people can reconfirm in the post-election days, he seems to be a respectful and thoughtful person, the most essential traits for a leader of the world's foremost country.
So congratulations and good luck, President Barack Obama ― and America!