Though I adore politics, I am also a political cynic. I worked in Washington D.C. long enough to know that politics is as impure as it gets. As the famous saying goes, there are two things you never want to see made -- sausages and laws. Politics, as exciting and fresh as it may seem in an election cycle, is usually an ugly business, festooned with half-truths, misstatements, and outright lies.

Despite this, there is something immensely gratifying about watching an inauguration. No matter who the new president is, all Americans can take pride in the fact that our system works, and works well. It may not work to your advantage or taste politically, but as democracies go, ours is the standard by which others are judged.

Witnessing the smooth as silk transition of power (and this one was particularly smooth) makes me proud to be an American. Watching it amid the routine turmoil that besets other democracies – Israel and Russia (where political foes and investigative journalists are routinely gunned down) – and other struggling nations (where does the list begin?) makes me realize that no matter what our political differences, and they are legion, we are all part of an extraordinary system of government. One commentator at Tuesday’s inauguration quipped that it was all a little self-congratulatory. I completely agree and say, so what? When you have an extraordinary system where transitions are marked by decency, respect and tradition, there is call for self-congratulation. Good for us.

Inaugurations are extraordinary things and to be in D.C. is like nothing else. Tuesday’s was the first one I missed in 20 years. I had planned on attending Tuesday’s event but having been in D.C. for five days last week, I saw firsthand that the incredible security and the massive crowds weren’t for me.

But my memories of other inaugurations are lasting. In 1988, I was front and center at the Young Americans for Freedom Ball, where Lee Atwood played guitar with B.B. King, and the new President, George H.W. Bush, jumped on stage to strum a few chords. Four years later, I watched Clinton’s inauguration with a group of other Bush appointees, after which we were driven to the south lawn of the White House, given little American flags and told to wave enthusiastically as President and Mrs. Bush lifted off in their sleek Army helicopter for private lives. Later that day, I returned to my office at the United States Information Agency to find a letter from the Clinton transition team dismissing me (and thousands of other Bush appointees), instructing me to clean out my desk and be gone by the end of the day. Some inaugurations are more fun than others.

For Clinton’s second inaugural, we hosted parties at our bars (ka-ching!) and watched the parade from the incredible vantage point of Bob Novak’s penthouse apartment on Pennsylvania Avenue. Ditto for George W. Bush’s first. I went back to D.C. four years ago for Bush’s second inaugural and spent the evening arguing with a group of British journalists. As I said, some inaugurations are more fun than others.

This year, I watched the events on TV. I would have loved to watch Sunday’s star-studded concert, We Are One: Opening Inaugural Celebration at the Lincoln Memorial. The event was billed as the people’s concert. But since I don’t have HBO, it should have been billed as the concert for people hearty enough to brave icy temperatures or pony up for premium cable service.

Luckily, the inauguration itself was on network television. Whatever you politics or age, it seems inconceivable that the inauguration didn’t grip you. It was a historic moment. Here was evidence of the country moving beyond race, to elect someone based on his abilities, virtues and ideas, and not the color of his skin.

But even more important to me was the message. Here was a president, for the first time in my life, who was wasn’t telling me that everything would be all right or that government would fix everything. No, government can only do so much, he said, the rest is up to us.

This was no, “Just go shopping. I’ll take care of everything” message. Obama criticized our collective failure to make the hard choices. He criticized those who would let the military and their families bear this nation’s sacrifice and burden alone. He called on us all to serve, to spend time with our children, to work harder, to help those in need, to pull ourselves up, dust ourselves off and get to work.

The crowd of millions was quiet. His speech was not punctuated with hoops and hollers, was not interrupted by applause and shouts of victory. Rather, America listened intently as its new leader warned of a prolonged economic crisis at home and military engagements abroad and told people that government can and will only do so much. The rest is up to us.

After delivering his speech, Obama turned to Biden and said, “Are you ready?” I am. You didn’t have to be there to get the message.

January 20, 2009