Well, it’s official: Barack Obama has been sworn in as the 44th President of the United States of America.

There are some who are quick to judge and criticise him, I even heard some while I was watching his inauguration speech, but I think that is tremendiously unfair. Here is a new President of the United States, one who has no family previously at the reigns of the country, a clean slate. He has more weight on his shoulders than most new Presidents, as not only does he have to deal with the current domestic issues as he takes office, he also has to deal with the fact that most of the planet has high hopes that he will turn around the currently tarnished international image of the United States. The pressure to succeed is enourmous.

Yet, he is only one man. A figurehead of the Obama Administration. It is their policies, with his stamp of approval, that will be subjected to the most scrutiny.

Personally, it is the fact that Obama was elected that makes me consider moving to the United States. Molly and I have talked about it for a while, with California being the obvious choice, yet we were waiting to see if the Americans would vote for change, or more of the same. They voted for change. They voted to do away with the old policies and try some new ones. I was really hoping they would, because no matter how much people want to deny it, the United States is the current superpower in the world, and what happens within their borders also affects the world. Here’s hoping that things turn around as a result of Obama being elected.

On a minor note, something I’ve had on my site has finally disappeared: The countdown until Dubya left the White House. Feels nice to not have that up anymore, and to further display my happiness at Dubya’s departure, I wore this today:

Don’t let us down, Mr. President. Eight years of hell was enough for a while, thanks.