It was appropriate that around the stroke of midnight United States President-elect Barack Obama appeared before the vast throng at Grant Park in Chicago to address the American people and those of the world.

A new day had dawned in American history.

A forty-seven year old African-American U.S. Senator who once labored in the halls of academia will now bring his beautiful family to 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and lead our country as our 44th president.

If you didn’t stay up to watch President-elect Obama’s victory speech, or Senator McCain’s concession speech, I strongly urge you to find time to watch both on the internet. Both men showed immense grace and class. They carried themselves with dignity and made strong calls for unity and healing. You could tell they both meant what they said about each other. It was an impressive display of civility and patriotism.

And President-elect Obama’s close to the speech told the story of a 106 year old African American voter from Atlanta and he draped her vote – and journey through America’s tumultuous civil rights past – with splendor.

Yes, as Election Day gave way to the transition from one presidency to another, America again demonstrated to the world the wonder that is democracy.

Regardless of how you voted yesterday, you had to marvel at the glory that is self-governance and the power that is “We the People.”

And if you were like me, when the final outcome was certain and the decision of the American people firmly rendered, you implored God’s guidance and protection for our next president, his family, and our country.

A friend of mine from my days at the White House, Mike Gerson, is now a columnist for The Washington Post. He wrote some things this morning that I think are worth thinking about – I copy some excerpts from his column below.

Hail to the Chief. God bless America.

********

“(A presidential election) involves not just the triumph of a majority but a transfer of legitimacy that binds the minority as well. This is a largely undiscussed topic in modern political debate: legitimacy. It is a kind of democratic magic that turns votes into authority. It does not require political agreement. It does imply a patriotic respect for the processes of government and a determination to honor the president for the sake of the office he holds."

**********

"There is a tremendous sense of history and responsibility that comes with serving in the White House. You gain an appreciation for the conflicted choices others have faced -- and for the untamed role of history in frustrating the best of plans. It becomes easier to understand a president's challenges and harder to question his motives. Ultimately, I believe that every president, and the staff he hires, feels the duty to serve a single national interest. And, ultimately, we need our presidents to succeed, not to fail for our own satisfaction or vindication.

This presidency in particular should be a source of pride even for those who do not share its priorities. An African American will take the oath of office blocks from where slaves were once housed in pens and sold for profit. He will sleep in a house built in part by slave labor, near the room where Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation with firm hand. He will host dinners where Teddy Roosevelt in 1901 entertained the first African American to be a formal dinner guest in the White House; command a military that was not officially integrated until 1948. Every event, every act, will complete a cycle of history. It will be the most dramatic possible demonstration that the promise of America -- so long deferred -- is not a lie.

I suspect I will have many substantive criticisms of the new administration, beginning soon enough. Today I have only one message for Barack Obama, who will be our president, my president: Hail to the chief.”