The fresh air of hope

My off-the-top-of-my-head recall on previous inaugurations isn't very deep. I was two years old when John Kennedy in 1960 famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you. Ask what you can do for your country."

I probably napped through that speech, but have seen it hundreds of times since.

Then there was 1977 when Jimmy Carter and wife Rosalyn decided to walk the parade route.They talk about that every inauguration

But I doubt there's been anything approaching the feel of this one -- maybe Ronald Reagan in 1980 after the moribund Carter years and the Iran hostages were released. There was a renewed can-do spirit. But that would be the only one.

Other than Rush Limbaugh, who's on record he hopes Obama fails, people of all views and all cultures on both sides of the aisle hopes the new president can deliver. This country badly needs this administration to do just that for the problems are many.

Obama has already delivered in one area. We're breathing the fresh air of hope.