Even for those who voted against him, that outcome presents indisputable evidence of how thoroughly the American people have rejected bigotry since Dr. King issued that defining challenge a mere 24 days after the second birthday of our first black president.
Additional public judgments of Mr. Obama will be made after he moves beyond today’s pomp, circumstance and jubilation and into the nitty gritty of pressing issues, both domestic and foreign.
But as a nation, we’re clearly much less inclined than we once were to judge each other by the color of our skin. And despite the momentous significance of his election, Mr. Obama should not simply be viewed as a black president ”” or as a Democratic president. He should be viewed as all Americans’ president.
And while all Americans should wish him success in the daunting job he begins today, we also can share in the joy of knowing how remarkably far we’ve come in his lifetime.