Today Barack Hussein Obama will be inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States. And I could not be prouder.

I am proud because, for the 38th time in our history, a president will willingly hand over power to his successor without a fuss or fears of a coup.

As of noon today, Barack Obama will not just be the president, but my president. For better or worse (better, I hope), he will be the chief executive of the nation for the next four years.

Reality is already setting in around the world. In Iran, he is already being given the traditional Iranian tribute to American presidents — pictures of him are being burned in public.

That’s my president they’re showing such contempt for over in Iran.  And I’ll treat that deed just as I did when it was done to any other president. I will remember it when Iran comes to us in the expectations of negotiations. I will remember it should they find themselves needing our help. I will remember it when they make promises and threats. I will remember it when they call us Satan and Zionists and crusaders and conquerors.

Today is a great day for our nation. It is, indeed, a historic day, as so many things will change at the stroke of noon.

But the world will not change so readily. There are still a lot of people in the world who hate us, who want to cause us harm, who wish to hurt and kill those we call friends. And it is the duty of our president to confront that.

Good luck, Mr. President. I fear you’ll need it.