Few experiences will compare with standing on the National Mall (with a couple million close friends) as dawn broke over the U.S. Capitol on the day of Barack Obama's inauguration. The weather was cold but spirits were high, even with the swearing-in still more than four hours away. The wait was worth every minute. It was a moving ceremony and Obama's address was powerful and inspiring. The only thing the scene on the Mall remotely reminded me of was standing for six hours on the Champs-Elysees for the finish of the Tour de France a few years ago, but that's only because of how stiff my legs felt when I started moving again -- the events of this moment were clearly of a different order of magnitude. The mood all over Washington was upbeat, almost jubilant in the days leading up to the inauguration, and the festivities continued late into the night. And now (for the new Prez) the hard part starts.