The president of the United States is black. Literally, not figuratively, not in some socio-psycho-political sense. But dark skin, black wife, black children. His name is Barack Hussein Obama, and despite the fact that it was a worldwide spectacle witnessed by billions or that the oath of office was administered twice, there is still a mind-boggling fancifulness to the whole episode; it's incredible in the original sense of the word.

And I say all this as someone who saw the whole thing with my own eyes. From my seat in the press section, I could see John Roberts' face -- plain as day -- as he flubbed the Big Moment. It was then that I realized how much this moment mattered to me.

We live in hopeful times -- we are Americans after all -- and we should be thinking hopeful thoughts. On the historically depressing topic of race relations, we've been in a particularly hopeful place in the wake of the last election.

But if you need a gauge of exactly how anomalous Obama and his campaign were in the context of race, all you have to do is watch the chaos that now surrounds the process by which he will be replaced in the Senate.