Inauguration Day 2013

Regardless of how you feel about Barack Obama and his administration over the last four years, it's a day to celebrate the American way of governance. Inauguration day 2013 comes, as inaugurals always do, with a mixture of high expectation and low anxiety about the road ahead. But looking ahead is what Americans do. Expecting more and better is who we are as a people. This inaugural compares quite well with the one in March 1865. The nation was weary of war, and that war was at long last coming to an end with a victory for union. Today we are weary of a foreign war, which seems to be ending at long last with a victory for disunion.Exactly 100 years ago, March 4th 1913, Woodrow Wilson's inauguration took place on the east side of the U.S. Capitol. The interesting comparison is this: The day before Wilson's swearing in women marched down Pennsylvania Avenue to protest their lack of voting rights. It wouldn't be until 1920 that women would earn those rights in America. In this era marriage rights are the pressing issue. There have not been parades and pre-inaugural demonstrations, but this issue is one that will not fade away. Here's hoping, Mister President, that by the time you leave office all Americans can legally marry the person they love. This is a worthwhile goal. It's time. Best wishes, and let's go forward.