The Blog

I’ve had about 12 days to decompress from my trip to the inauguration of Barack Hussein Obama. Frankly, I don’t know what to say.

I could say how amazing of an experience it was to be there. But if I did, it would be superficial.

Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I’ll ever forget that I was there to see (what we consider) the first African American man sworn in as president of our country. It’s something that I’ll always remember.

Even still, a part of me is at a loss for words. What, really, can I say that hasn’t already been said? The significance of Mr. Obama’s rise to the presidency had nothing to do with whether or not I agreed with him politically. I’ve been a fan ever since I went out to cover a rally he held in Oakland, Calif. very early in his presidential campaign.

While there, I observed a group of young black men mesmerized by Mr. Obama, as he spoke about his plans for the country. I was taken aback by that—and almost moved to tears. I saw a “youngish” black man (Obama) commanding the attention of adolescents, whom I would easily characterize as knuckleheads. Obama performed with the poise of a seasoned athlete, and a hint of the swagger of a rapper. He is neither.

For me, that was powerful. Obama didn’t have a basketball or a football in his hand. He wasn’t using his microphone to talk about how “hood rich” he was. He made no mention of his penis size and how much pleasure he can give to the many women, falling over themselves for the chance to have porn star sex with him. (No, Obama’s not a rapper, but he can play ball.)

In seeing the senator in-person, for the first time, I found I’d identified with someone on the national stage. I’m not comparing myself to Obama. He is, perhaps, much more learned than I’ll ever be in my life. (And that’s no put down to me.)

It’s just that…he’s not typical. That’s what intrigues me. And I hoped the group of “knuckleheads” at the rally saw that in him, too.

I didn’t need to attend the inauguration in order for Obama’s significance to take its effect. Heck, I didn’t even need him to be elected president. He had me at, “Hello, Oakland.”