The enormous and gleeful celebration of Barack Obama's inauguration reflected the colossal importance of an African-American becoming president of the United States. At the same time, excitement about the first person born and reared in Hawaii holding the most powerful position in the world is well-deserved seven months before the 50th anniversary of statehood.

The pride is most felt at Punahou School, where “;Barry”; made many friends in the years leading to his high school graduation in 1979. About 35 of his former classmates and other Punahou graduates partied together in Arlington, Va., on the eve of the inauguration to celebrate the event. Hundreds of other Hawaii residents flew to the inaugural.

In his inaugural speech, Obama said the nation's spirit comes from the knowledge “;that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness.”; He added: “;We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth.”;

Not only was the crowd at Washington's Mall the largest in history, Obama's high approval ratings in polls were unprecedented for a president-elect. During the transition, Obama made strong efforts to cross party and ideological lines, appointing moderates to cabinet posts, extending arms to Republicans, even arranging dinner with conservative journalists at the home of columnist George F. Will.

“;On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord,”; Obama said in yesterday's speech. “;On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn-out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.”;

Past presidents have made similar vows to cross party lines to achieve meaningful results but have found that such efforts are more easily promised than achieved. The most recent, of course, is the self-described “;uniter”; whom Obama succeeded and whose closed circle turned out to be uncompromising.

Even before entering the Oval Office, Obama annoyed the Democratic Party's liberals by retaining Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates and choosing evangelical pastor Rick Warren to deliver yesterday's invocation. Republicans are certain to brand Obama as just another liberal if he leans too far for protectionism as opposed to free trade and throws his support to elimination of secret elections in labor-union organizing efforts.

Obama can best avoid “;conflict and discord”; if he builds bridges to deal with the nation's economic crisis and, as he put it in the speech, “;begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people.”;