For at least twenty minutes today, while listening to President Barack Obama´s second inaugural address, I did become an American.
He had me from the get go; when he quoted the first line of the American Constitution "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."
That quote is one of the most beautiful and hopeful I have ever seen in any founding document and Obama filled it with even more passion and life and hope.
I have always wanted and expected from my leaders that they be filled with a vision and passion and that they are able to instill that vision and passion in me and all around me. What I have gotten from Swedish politicians the last twenty years is base economics and nitty gritty-hopelessness. Give me what I need, hope, vision, passion and a social consciousnesses and I will follow. Of course economic realities must be handled in a responsible way, but that should never be the only point - or even the main point.
For twenty minutes I became an American and proud of it. I was filled with hope for the future and our ability to handle the problems we would meet together.
