In his first term, President Barack Obama signed 654 bills into
law, the Dow Jones Industrial Average increased by about 70% and
the national debt by $5.8 trillion. And in 10 years -- maybe
less -- few outside of the Beltway will remember any of that.
That's not to suggest those details are not important. But even
if all of his actions are forgotten, Obama's legacy as the first
black president will endure. And even though this is his second
term and fewer people are expected to travel to Washington this
time to witness the inauguration, know that this moment is not
any less important. For had Obama not been re-elected, his
barrier-breaking election in 2008 could have easily been
characterized as a charismatic politician capturing lightning in
a bottle. But by becoming the first president since Dwight
Eisenhower to win at least 51% of the vote twice, Obama proved
his administration was successful. And not by chance, but by
change. A change, to paraphrase Martin Luther King Jr., that was
not inevitable but a re