By U.S. Rep. Harry Teague
Yesterday, when I blogged about the excitement of the high school kids I met from Deming, I never could have imagined how magnified that feeling would be today. Throughout the morning, the crowds were full of excitement and hope. Although it was bitterly cold and the long lines were unending, people stayed upbeat, patient and enthusiastic. When I took my seat near where Barack Obama would soon be sworn in as our next president, I could see that the crowd filled up the entire National Mall — from the Capitol all the way to the Washington Monument.
The determination of the crowds today was unlike anything I’ve ever seen, and I believe it is representative of the character of our nation. As President Obama said in his speech, the challenges we face as Americans are great. But when I looked across the crowds today, it was clear that there is nothing we can’t accomplish when we are united toward a common goal.
As I watched America inaugurate its first African-American president, I thought about how far we have come as a nation. As a boy watching President Kennedy’s Inauguration on a black and white TV, I never thought I would witness my first in-person Inauguration as a member of Congress. Although it has been many years since I worked the oil fields as a teenager in Hobbs, it is the many lessons I learned from that work that I will put into practice as we begin the work of getting America back on track. It will take hard work, team work and integrity to turn this nation around.
I look forward to working with my colleagues in Congress and President Obama to help solve our economic crisis and put America back to work.
Here are some photos of the inauguration taken today by Cristal Jones from my office:
Teague represents southern New Mexico’s 2nd Congressional District.