A New Era Dawns as Democracy Prevails

At 12:00 noon today, Barack Obama takes the oath of office as the 44th President of the United States of America.

With the economy in a shambles, a war raging in Iraq, and another war in Afghanistan, the newly minted President faces challenges unlike any newly inaugurated President since Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Reports circulating in Washington today indicate that as soon as President Obama takes the oath of office, his staff will depart for the White House to begin work on the nation´s economic crisis and executive orders reversing many Bush policies, including the closing of Guantanamo Bay and ending waterboarding and other forms of torture.

The nation´s Capitol hums with millions of visitors who have come to witness the inauguration of the nation´s first African American President.

Yesterday, while Barack Obama was honoring the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. through volunteer efforts, literally thousands waited outside Congressional offices on Capitol Hill for tickets to the swearing-in ceremony.

Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein of California kicks-off the inaugural ceremony at 11:00 a.m. With Democrats constituting a majority in both Houses of Congress and President Obama taking the White House, this peaceful transition of power is a celebration of Democratic victory and the triumph of democracy.