Pride

N and I often marvel at how lucky we are to have won the lottery of birthplace. No matter the flaws and ugliness we see, we never forget the profound good fortune we enjoy simply by being born in the United States. The pride I’m feeling today reminds me of the feelings I had in June of 1989 when I took the oath of enlistment to be sworn into the Army, and again in November of 1998 when I took the attorney’s oath to be sworn into the State Bar of Texas. Both times, I swore my allegiance to the Constitution and both times I deeply felt my responsibility to my country. I’m reminded of a new responsibility today – to raise two citizens who appreciate the democracy into which they were so lucky to have been born. And I am so proud that the first thing I will be able to teach Monkey and Turtle about their country is that Barack Obama is their president.