Man of Destiny The American people and the world see history in the making as Barack Obama becomes the 44th President of the United States of America on January 20, 2009.
The inauguration of the Democrat Senator as the first African-American president marks a significant and profound milestone for the American people. It has turned into reality what many considered the politically impossible.
People remembered watching on TV as civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. spoke at the Lincoln Memorial in 1963 of his dream for America. The Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964.
Hours before his historic swearing-in as president, Obama has called on Americans to evoke the spirit of Dr King who was assassinated in his march for civil rights. Obama was attending a community project in Washington on the anniversary of the birth of Dr King. He told reporters:
"Given the crisis that we're in and the hardships that so many people are going through, we can't allow any idle hands."
On Monday, at a dinner honouring his presidential rival, John McCain, Obama hailed him as a "courageous public servant" with a long list of bipartisan accomplishments.
The inauguration in Washington is expected to see a record turnout for such an event with at least two million people to witness it.
As he takes his oath of office, the world will watch the televised event with great interest. It is all about a man of destiny who has promised CHANGE for the American people and a superpower nation that is bogged down in two wars - Iraq and Afghanistan.
